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DUKE  UNIVERSITY 


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of  Utopian  Literature 


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littp://www.arclnive.org/details/ironcrowntaleofgOOdeni 


AN 


lEON    GEOWN 


A  TALE  OF  THE  GREAT  REPUBLIC. 


'Upon  what  meat  doth  this  our  Caesar  feed, 
That  he  is  grown  so  great?" 


CHICAGO: 

T.  S.  DENISON,  Publisher. 

163  Randolph  Street. 


Inscribed  to  the  memory  of  the  devoted 
men  and  women  who  in  every  age  and  in 
every  land  have  lived  and  died  for  the  cause 
of  freedom  and  the  equal  rights  of  all  men. 

The  Author. 


Copyright,  iSSs,   by  T.  S.  Dknison. 
All  Rights  Reserved. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 
The  Street  of  a  Thouwinil  Palacc^i 7 

I  CHAPTKR   11. 

The  rwin-  Havi-  "a  Invite  Inter  High  Society" 14 

CHAPTER   III. 

i'hc  Moral  As|>ects  of  a  Dollar -5 

CIIAPTEK    IV. 

Sow  ill '^  till-   Wind 3- 

1  CHAPTER   V. 

Mr    Roker's  Little  Scheme 40 

CHAPTER   VI. 

The  Hoiiorahle  D.ivc  Sawder : 5° 

CHAPTER   \TI. 

Very  Uiijh  Society    ^^ 

CilAP'lER    VIII. 

•'  Will  You  Walk  into  My  Parlor,  Said  the  Spider  to  the  F"Iy  ?" 7^> 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Mr.  PiiK"  Mallev  Seeks  a  Situation  for  His  Twin  Brother,  Quill,  and 
the  Misses  Ingledee  and  Snicker  Make  a  Call  in  an  I'nfashion- 
able  Street ^"^4 

CHAPTER  X. 

Mr.    Ingledee   Attempts  to  Read  His   F'amilv  a   Lesson  on    Social 

Du"ties ^ '. 'O' 

CHAPTER  XL 

Out  West — Rural  Amusoinents '09 

CHAPTER  XIL 

Spellin'  School "5 

(iii) 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

PAGE. 

The  Hacketts 127 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Miss  Harrie  Snicker  Organizes  a   Picnic  which   is   by    no   Means 

"  Common" 1 17 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Reaping  the  Whirlwind 1^9 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
♦'  Vengeance  is  Mine." 157 

CHAPTER  XVn. 
A  City  in  the  Clouds 164 

CHAPTER  XVni 
Roughing  It 173 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Striking  it  Rich. ...   183 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Jumpers 191 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
A  Night  Horror  in  the  Shaft.'. 204 

CHAPTER   XXII. 

Death  on  the  Cliff — The  Bismarck  Taken  bv  Strategy 219 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  Trial  in  the  Elk  Mountain  Saloon,  wherein  the  Forcible 
Nature  of  Western  Arguments  is  Illustrated — Little  Hackett's 
Speech 22S 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Death  of  Little  Hackett 238 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
The  Big  Strike  on  the  Amazon 250 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
In  which  Many  Old  Acquaintances  are  Renewed 263 

CHAPTER  XXVII.. 

A  Surprise  for  the  Hacketts,  with  Things  Both  Pleasant  and  Un- 
pleasant for  Mr.  Quill  Malley 273 


CONTENTS.  V 

CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

PAGE. 

A  Disagreeable    Revelation  —  The  Feasibility   of  a   Villa  on   tlie 

Hudson 282 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Two  Young  Ladies  Become  Acquainted,  Whose  History  is  Here- 
after Connected  in  Verv  Important  Events  —  Quill  Malley 
Transacts  Further  Business  with  Mr.  Roker,  and  the  Latter 
Becomes  ContiJentiai  with  Mr.  Ingledee. 291 

CHAPTER    XXX. 
The  Brownell    Family  Recogniz .■  the  United  States 299 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 

Makinor  a  United  States  Senator  —  Miss  Ingledee  Accidentally 
Obtains  very  Important  Information,  and  Mr.  Quill  Malley 
E.vecuies  a  Urrint 310 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 
Misunderstandings — Gridiron  Soars 322 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Ruin,  Utter  Ruin,  and  Disgrace 332 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

A  Friend  in  Need 342 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

All  Things  are  Easy   Because  All  are  Untried.     Some   Examples 

of  Yankee  Thrift 355 

CHAPTER  XXXVL 

Mind-Farming  and  Husband-Painting.   365 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Life    on    the    Prairies — Raising    Garden    "  Sass  "  —  A    Spell    of 

Weather  and  a  Bottomless  Cornfield 373 

CHAPTER  XXXVin. 

The  Poetrv  of  Sheep-shearing,  Also  a  Little  Backache 383 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

A  Cvclone— How  Railroads  Divide  with  the  Farmer 392 

CHAPTER  XL. 

In  which  Tom  Norwell  Concludes  that  Farming  is  not  Highly 
Remunerative  and  Messrs.  Tyemming  and  Miriam  Concoct 
their  Greatest  Money- Making  Scheme 403 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XLI. 

PACK. 

Which  Contains  both  Good  and  Bad  Report  of  Familiar  Friends — 
Luck  vs.  Love — There  is  Notliing  New  in  Luck,  Nothing  New 
in  Love ^13 

CHAPTER    XLIL 

Arthur  Wilson,  Esq.,  Millionaire  versus  Arthur  Wilson,  Poor  Young 

Man— The  Snickers  Exhibit  tlie  Family  Joss ".   424 

CHAPTER  XLin. 
Some  (Jreat  Financiers — How  to  Retire  from  Business 4-56 

CHAPTER    XLIV. 

In  which  Miss  Ingledee  Startles  Her  Rival,  Provokes  the  Wrath 
ot   Her  Father,  Dares  a  Lover,  and  Becomes  an    Exile  from 


Home 


440 


CHAPTER  XLV. 


Mr.  Roker  Startles  Certain  Folks  Greatly  bv  His  Theory  of  an 
Elopement — He  Pays  a  Visit  to  May  Bryce — Death  of  Silas 
Ingledee 4152 

CHAPTER    XLVI. 
An  Unending  Conflict   462 

CHAPTER  XLVII. 

The  Pittsburgh  Riots,  Fire  and  Destruction — A  Race  for  Life 470 

CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

Mr.  Malley  Comes   out  in  Style — Atalanta  Victorious 479 

CHAPTER  XLIX.     . 

The   Danger  Signal 491 

CHAPTER  L. 

Mr.  Roker  Springs  a  Mine. 501 

CHAPTER  LI. 

Face  to  Face — Love's  Appeal  to  Love — Mr.  Quill  Malley  Exhibits 

Alarming  Symptoms 509 

CHAPTER  LII. 
True  unto  Death 518 

CHAPTER  LIU. 
The  Shadow  that  Walked  Before 53 1 

CHAPTER  LIV. 
A  Fading  Flower 537 


AN  IRON  CROWN. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    STREET    OF    A    THOUSAND    PALACES. 

Fifth  Avenue,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  though  a  street  of 
world-wide  celebrity,  is  not  wholly  pleasing  to  the  eye  of  a 
visitor.  One  soon  tires  of  the  sameness  exhibited  in  block 
after  block  of  imposing  brown  stone  edifices,  many  of  which 
well  deserve  the  name  of  palace  in  the  splendor  of  their 
costly  appointments.  Most  of  the  houses  in  the  street  are  so 
much  alike  with  their  stately  stone  fronts  three  and  four 
stories  high,  plate-glass  windows,  and  massive  stone  steps 
leading  froin  a  stone  sidewalk  which  ends  a  stone-like  pave- 
ment, that  the  description  of  one  would  serve  for  two-thirds  of 
the  houses  in  the  Avenue. 

On  a  hot  day  in  summer  when  this  abode  of  magnificence 
is  well-nigh  deserted  by  its  fashionable  inhabitants,  it  is  a 
dreary  enough  place.  The  country  visitor  who  has  come  from 
far  to  view  the  wonders  of  the  great  metropolis  concerning 
which  he  has  read  and  marveled  from  his  earliest  recollection, 
is  liable  at  such  a  time  to  think  this  a  very  stony  sort  of  gran- 
deur. The  air  is  parched  and  oppressive.  Above  is  a  trop- 
ical sun,  on  either  side  inhospitable  splendor.  The  closed 
doors  and  drawn  blinds  of  these  silent  abodes  of  wealth  have 
for  the  eye  of  the  stranger  no  more  welcome  than  is  found  at 
the  door  of  a  deserted  cabin  in  the  wilderness.  He  longs  to 
escape  from  this  sweltering,  artificial  Sahara.  For  him  Fifth 
Avenue  is  a  gro?;s  delusion  and  a  cheat  so  far  as  concerns  those 
pure  delights  which  he  imagined  were  everywhere  apparent 
in  that  favored  locality. 

By  contrast  his  thoughts  seek  a  comfortable  homestead 
in  his  own  village,  where  the  whitewash  on  the  palings 
is  renewed  perennially  and  the  vine  clings  luxuriant  to  the 
trellis,  while  roses  burden  the  air  with  a  perfume  sweeter  to 
his  mind  than   anv   far-fetched   perfumes  of  Araby.     Or  his 

(7) 


8  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

thoughts  wander  further  to  the  long  two-story  farmhouse 
with  an  L  and  a  wide  porch  running  full  length.  On  the 
porch  are  homely  rocking  chairs.  In  front  stately  oak,  maple, 
elm  or  locust  trees  throw  a  dense,  grateful  shade  as  far  as  the 
porch.  Beyond  is  the  highway  over  which  a  farmer's  wagon 
rattles;  at  the  rear  is  the  orchard  where  red-cheeked  and 
golden  apples  shimmer  in  the  hot  sun  of  noonday  and  the  pre- 
datory woodpecker  feasts  at  will.  Our  visitor,  if  thoughtful, 
will  realize  that  not  in  Fifth  Avenue  but  in  these  distant  places 
are  the  homes  of  the  real  American  people.  If  he  has  just 
come  from  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  he  cannot  but  realize  a 
striking  similarity  between  the  condition  of  the  lifeless,  stony 
figures  in  that  repository  of  the  relics  of  a  past  age  and  the 
petrified  condition  of  the  Avenue  itself,  with  all  its  parched 
belongings.  Whether  of  a  philosophical  turn  of  mind  or  not, 
he  will  scarcely  remain  long  in  this  enormous  oven,  which 
needs  only  a  lid  to  prepare  it  for  baking,  at  such  a  season,  on 
such  a  day. 

But  if  the  stranger  leaves  Fifth  Avenue  with  the  impres- 
sion that  its  inhabitants  have  really  fossilized  to  be  more  in 
keeping  with  the  street,  he  will  make  a  great  mistake.  The 
society  butterflies,  young  and  old,  are  at  Saratoga,  Newport, 
the  Thousand  Islands,  the  White  Mountains,  or  some  other  of 
the  many  summer  resorts  which  America  can  boast.  These 
butterflies,  of  every  size  and  color  of  wing,  industriously  flit 
on  the  mountain  and  by  the  sea.  They  dance,  and  bathe,  and 
flirt,  and  eat,  day  after  day,  all  summer  long.  Their  painted 
wings  glimmer  in  the  sunbeams  like  the  wings  of  their  dumb 
namesakes,  and  apparently  with  as  little  purpose.  The  elderly 
male  butterfly  occasionally  takes  his  dyspepsia,  and  his  gold- 
rimmed  spectacles  to  the  city,  to  watch  the  gathering  of 
golden  nuggets,  which  must  be  converted  into  dust  to  gild 
the  giddy  wings  of  his  progeny.  The  movements  of  this 
elderly  male  butterfly  are  a  trifle  heavy  and  at  times  somewhat 
anxious.  In  fact,  he  is  not  a  real  butterfly,  for  his  develop- 
ment is  usually  arrested  at  the  homely  chrysalis  condition, 
which  renders  the  full-fledged,  gorgeous-winged  wonder  a 
possibility.  He  is  homely  but  necessary.  While  this  dancing, 
eating, dallying  and  assiduous  flirting  goes  on  by  the  mountain, 
and  the  sea,  the  American  people,  in  shop,  f;ictory  and  store,  on 
the  farm,  in  the  forest,  in  the  mine,  are  daily,  over  millions  of 
square  miles,  building  the  greatest  and  freest  nation  the  world 
has  ever  seen. 


AN    IROX    CROWN.  9 

But  to  return  to  Fifth  Avenue.  These  miles  of  stately 
structures  in  brown  stone,  which  have  a  deep  interest  to  man- 
kind, because  of  the  fabulous  sums  necessary  to  build  and 
maintain  them,  though  much  alike  externally,  differ  in  their 
interior  appointments  as  much  as  their  inmates  differ  in 
thought,  feeling  and  action.  This  story  has  to  do  with  only 
one  of  the  grandest  of  them,  the  exact  location  of  which  for 
obvious  reasons  will  not  be  made  known.  On  that  Septem- 
ber day  some  years  ago,  this  palatial  residence  might  have  been 
described  as  follows: 

The  striking  and  ornate  exterior  proclaimed  that  its 
owner  possessed  immense  wealth.  Nor  did  it  indicate  simply 
vulgar  wealth.  The  chaste  architecture  of  the  beautiful 
front,  plainly  showed  that  the  architect,  at  least,  was  a  man  of 
exquisite  taste,  whatever  might  be  said  of  the  owner.  The 
massive  carved  front  door  opened  into  a  large  hall,  which  was 
in  itself  as  capacious  as  the  whole  ground  floor  in  many  a 
house  which  shelters  people  of  moderate  means.  This  spacious 
entry  was  laid  with  small  tiles  in  beautiful  mosaic  patterns. 
For  some  distance  above  the  floor  extended  marble  panels,  in 
which  were  to  be  seen  almost  every  known  variety  and  color 
of  that  useful  stone,  all  polished  like  a  mirror.  Even  stones 
classed  as  precious,  were  here  set  into  the  walls  in  profusion, 
dazzling  the  eye  with  their  brilliant  reflections.  Here  lapis- 
lazuli  blended  its  pleasing  hues  with  malachite.  On  the  walls 
were  sculptured  bas-reliefs,  the  works  of  master  artists. 
Choice  statuar}'  reposed  in  niches,  or  was  placed  about  the 
room.  Costly  bronzes,  representing  both  ancient  and  modern 
art,  were  lodged  on  brackets,  or  otherwise  placed  with  artistic 
effect.  On  the  lofty  ceilings  in  this  hall  and  in  the  grand 
saloons,  were  beautiful  frescoes.  Richly  ornamented  gasaliers, 
whose  chaste  embellishments  reflected  the  light  in  many  hues, 
depended  from  the  ceiling. 

To  the  right  of  this  grand  hall  were  spacious  parlors  of 
unusual  dimensions,  to  the  left  a  library,  a  picture  gallery,  the 
owner's  private  office,  and  various  smaller  rooms.  Further  to 
the  rear  were  the  family  dining-room,  the  public  dining-room, 
and  still  beyond,  the  kitchens.  The  alcoves  of  books  in  fine 
bindings,  the  statuary  which  was  in  various  places,  the  pic- 
tures in  the  gallery  and  in  the  parlors,  the  frescoes  on  the  ceil- 
ings, all  indicated  refined  and  sumptuous  tastes  on  the  part  of 
the  owner.  There  was  a  conspicuous  absence  of  those  fan- 
tastic productions  of  household  adornment  whose  only  recom- 


lO  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

mendations  are  their  deformity  and  uselessness.  There  were 
no  fragile  tables  on  unsteady  legs  or  consumptive  tripods  sup- 
porting inadequate  card  baskets.  The  costly  center-tables 
would  have  supported  a  roasted  ox  if  necessary.  The  mas- 
sive rosewood  coat  rack  in  the  hall  was  built  for  service  as 
well  as  show.  It  stood  solidly  on  the  marble  floor  instead  of 
on  four  griffin's  legs,  as  is  sometimes  the  case,  whose  uncer- 
tain and  erratic  movements  make  the  keeping  closed  of  the 
front  door  a  necessity,  lest  the  whole  machine  should  some 
fine  day  walk  into  the  street  and  disappear  around  the  corner. 
It  made  no  difference  to  that  coat  rack  whether  you  hung  the 
coat  there  or  the  owner  of  the  coat.  This  palatial  abode  was 
the  residence  of  Henry  Ingledee,  the  great  railway  king. 

Mr.  Ingledee  was  a  man  about  fifty,  and  in  spite  of  his 
long  participation  in  the  feverish  excitements  of  Wall  street, 
he  showed  few  gray  hairs  and  fewer  lines  in  his  face.  This 
was  wholly  due  to  his  iron  constitution,  for  he  never  spared 
himself  any  labor,  no  matter  how  arduous,  provided  it  brought 
or  seemed  likely  to  bring  gold  and  extend  his  influence.  He 
was  above  medium  height,  strongly  built,  with  well-molded 
limbs,  shapely,  sinewy  hands  and  small  feet.  His  hair  and 
complexion  were  dark,  while  his  eyes  were  a  puzzling  con- 
tradiction between  gray  and  a  very  dark  blue.  He  had  a 
rather  square  jaw,  a  firm  mouth,  broad  high  nose  with  wide 
nostrils,  and  heavy  eyebrows.  His  full  chest  and  short  neck 
indicated  great  animal  powers.  A  well-developed  head  gave 
assurance  of  mental  as  well  as  physical  power.  Mr.  Ingledee 
was  a  man  who  would  prove  a  formidable  rival,  indeed,  a 
dangerous  one,  in  any  avocation  he  might  adopt. 

He  was  brought  up  a  poor  farmer's  son,  among  the  hills  of 
Western  Alassachusetts.  His  humble  origin,  like  that  of  so 
many  men  eminent  in  American  history,  had  no  effect  in  cur- 
tailing his  visions  of  a  different  and  vastly  exalted  sphere  of 
action  for  the  future.  What  that  future  might  be,  he  knew 
not;  and  he  was  fully  as  ignorant  of  the  path  that  might  lead 
to  it.  W^hile  engaged  in  the  daily  labor  of  the  farm  he  con- 
stantly dreamed  of  what  he  would  do  if  he  were  rich  and 
great.  These  dreams  were  so  far  beyond  the  petty  details  of 
his  present  life  in  their  splendid  proportions  that  he  saved 
himself  the  humiliation  of  ridicule  by  wisely  keej^ing  them 
to  himself.  Only  to  his  mother  did  he  at  times  confide  a 
vague  purpose  "  to  be  something  in  the  world,"  and  she,  poor 
woman,  whose  life  was  one  continuous  round  of  that  tedious 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  IT 

drudgery  ordinarily  incident  to  the  life  of  a  farmer's  wife,  se- 
cretly abetted  his  ambition,  though  his  father  "  kalkilated  noth- 
in'  was  so  dead  sartin'  as  farmin' ?  "  Mrs.  Ingledcc  thought 
her  son  might  greatly  improve  his  condition  in  life  by  teaching 
school,  but  he  hi  his  heart  despised  that  unpretentious  means 
of  mounting  the  ladder  of  fiime.  He  who  would  have  made 
a  splendid  soldier,  thought  little  of  the  hum-drum  occupation 
of  school  teaching. 

Yet,  to  please  his  mother,  whose  worth  he  understood, 
and  whotn  he  fully  appreciated  as  his  best  friend  on  earth,  he 
tried  teaching  school  one  term,  at  fifteen  dollars  per  month 
and  "board  round;"  that  is,  board  free  of  charge  by  turns 
with  every  family  in  the  district.  But  wealth  accumulates 
slowly  at  fifteen  dollars  per  month,  though  his  balance  sheet 
showed  a  gratifying  exhibit  at  the  end  of  the  term.  Out  of 
the  sixty  dollars  due  for  four  months'  salary,  fifty-nine  dollars 
and  forty  cents  remained  to  his  credit.  The  other  sixty  cents 
had  been  expended  in  paint  to  make  a  blackboard  in  the 
schoolhouse,  the  first  ever  heard  of  in  that  neighborhood. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Henry  Ingledee  left  home  "  to  do 
for  himself,"  as  that  rather  arduous  and  sometimes  very  un- 
certain undertaking  was  then  called.  At  the  age  of  thirty  he 
was  a  merchant  in  an  obscure  country  town  in  the  far  West. 
At  the  age  of  fifty  he  was  worth  fifty  millions,  and  a  railway 
king  of  world-wide  celebrity.  It  might  have  been  better  for 
him  had  he  still  been  a  country  school  teacher;  it  certainly 
would  have  been  much  better  for  the  country. 

Besides  the  father,  the  Ingledee  famil}'  consisted  of  a  son 
and  a  daughter,  the  mother  having  been  dead  many  years. 
Silas  Ingledee,  the  son,  may  be  described  in  brief.  He  in- 
herited many  of  his  .father's  strong  traits  of  character.  These, 
however,  were  perverted  into  wrong  channels.  The  young 
man  had  never  learned  the  value  of  money  because  he  had 
never  earned  a  dollar  in  his  life.  But  what  was  infinitely 
worse,  though  common  enough  under  the  circumstances,  he 
did  not  know  the  value  of  a  good  name.  He  sailed  around  a 
great  deal  in  the  family  yacht.  He  was  a  young  man  around 
town,  and  spent  vast  sums  of  money.  His  father  earnestly 
protested  against  these  wild  dissipations,  for  he  was  very 
anxious  to  found  a  family  which  would  go  down  into  history, 
and  this  son  was  the  only  hope. 

Silas  insisted  that  the  industrial  operation  known  as  sowing 
wild  oats,  must  be  undergone  by  every  young  man  of  fortune. 


12  AN    IRON    CROWN, 

Otherwise  what  was  the  use  of  having  money  at  all  ?  Some- 
time he  would  settle  down,  enter  Wall  street,  and  show  the 
"  Governor  "  ;i  thing  or  two.  Meanwhile  the  Governor,  rather 
anxious  to  be  surprised  by  the  fulfillment  of  this  promise, 
could  only  wait  and  hope  that  the  young  man  might  event- 
ually come  to  his  senses,  or  in  other  words  try  every  folly  and 
get  a  surfeit.  The  only  question  was  whether  Silas's  consti- 
tution could  sustain  the  herculean  task  of  harvesting  such  a 
luxuriant  crop  of  oats.  As  to  the  money,  there  were  no  fears 
for  that  while  Mr.  Ingledee  was  alive  to  take  care  of  it. 
There  was  so  much  of  it  that  the  spending  would  have  fully 
done  up  a  half  dozen  young  men  of  the  period,  which  is  say- 
ing a  great  deal  for  Mr.  Ingledee's  financial  standing. 

The  daughter  was  a  being  of  a  very  different  stamp. 
There  was  nothing  at  ah  remarkable  in  the  fact  that  she 
abstained  from  dissipation,  for  that  a  relentless  public  opinion 
rightfully  denies  to  women,  while  tacitly  admitting  it  to  be  on 
the  whole  rather  a  cute  performance  on  the  part  of  a  young 
man.  In  this  case  what  is  a  palatable  sauce  for  the  demure 
young  goose  is  a  very  insipid  condiment  for  the  frisky  male 
bird.  The  shame  belongs  to  society  for  tolerating  such  false 
notions  of  right,  Chetta  Ingledee  had  grown  up  without  a 
mother.  Her  father  paid  little  attention  to  her,  partly  because 
Silas  caused  many  paternal  anxieties,  but  chiefly  because  she 
was  a  girl,  and  a  girl  could  not  perpetuate  the  name  of  Ingle- 
dee, which  he  fondly  hoped  would  some  daj'^  be  known  still 
better,  and  in  connection  with  still  greater  achievements,  pos- 
sibly in  the  airena  of  politics  as  well  as  finance,  since  the  rail- 
way king  is  always  deeply  interested  in  politics.  For  these 
reasons  Chetta  had  been  allowed  to  grow  up  pretty  much  as 
she  pleased. 

Her  education  in  books  had  not  been  neglected,  and  her 
really  superior  intellect  had  readily  assimilated  and  mastered 
all  that  is  supposed  to  constitute  a  good  education  in  the  com- 
mon acceptation.  She  loved  music,  and  had  fine  attainments 
in  that  direction.  She  despised  a  smattering  of  anything, 
hence,  did  not  dabble  in  any  of  the  fashionable  dillettanteisms 
of  the  day.  She  was  a  high-spirited  girl,  who  not  only  loved 
to  have  her  own  way,  but  had  it.  Mr.  Ingledee  looked  on 
with  indiflTerence,  for  he  thought  her  a  very  good  girl,  consid- 
ering that  girls  were  an  inferior  production  of  nature,  whose 
•chief  mission  is  to  be  married,  suitably  or  unsuitably.  He 
knew  that  her  handsome  face,  fine  form,  and  attractive   man- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I3 

ners  with  the  potent  inducement  of  princely  dowry,  would 
secure  her  the  best  husband  going  at  any  time. 

In  person  Chetta  Ingledee  resembled  her  father.  She  was 
above  the  medium  height,  possessing  a  better  physique  than 
most  young  women,  bred  amid  the  fashionable  absurdities 
which  money  commands.  She  had  dark  hair,  liquid  black 
eyes  and  a  clear  complexion,  the  result  of  vigorous  health  and 
abundant  exercise.  She  was  not  afraid  to  walk  a  mile  or  two, 
in  this  respect  being  totally  unlike  those  fashionable  incapa- 
bles,  who  will  order  out  the  carriage  to  go  two  blocks,  or  stop 
a  street  car,  if  they  chance  to  enter  that  plebeian  conveyance, 
for  one  block.  Chetta's  well-rounded,  but  prominent  chin 
and  full  cherry  lips,  indicated  a  tendency  toward  voluptuous 
tastes.  Her  rather  wide  nose,  the  least  bit  turned  up,  indi- 
cated the  same. 

Altogether,  her  face  would  be  called  handsome,  it  cer- 
tainly was  striking,  especially  when  her  eye  assumed  a  pecu- 
liar penetrating  gaze,  which  plainly  warned  the  world  from 
attempting  to  trifle  with  its  possessor.  Wealth  had  not 
spoiled  hei'  as  it  spoils  an  inferior  nature.  She  despised  mere 
display,  was  unaffected  in  manner  and  kind  of  heart.  As  her 
time  and  actions  were  absolutely  at  her  own  disposal,  this 
kindness  and  irrepressible  flow  of  animal  spirits  caused  her  to 
do  things,  sometimes,  which  her  aristocratic  friends  called 
"queer."  Had  her  father  been  worth  only  a  quarter  of  a 
million  in  lieu  of  his  many  millions,  these  freaks  would  have 
been  pronounced  "  singular."  Had  he  been  a  poor  man  strug- 
gling along  on  one  hundred  thousand,  they  would  have  been 
called  "unladylike,"  and  might  have  resulted  in  Chetta's  be- 
ing "cut"  by  the  female  plutocrats  who  make  and  unmake 
society.  One  of  these  eccentricities  was  the  teaching  of  a  class 
of  ragged  boys  in  a  mission  school.  These  urchins  consisted 
of  newsboys,  ragpickers  and  the  children  of  the  very  poorest 
people — outcasts  who,  in  the  midst  of  the  highest  civilization, 
sink  through  misfortune  and  improvidence  below  the  level  of 
the  savage. 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE    TWINS    HAVE    A    "INVITE    INTER    HIGH    SOCIETY." 

One  morning  after  a  late  breakfast,  Mr.  Ingledee  lingered 
at  the  table  over  his  paper,  hoping  to  see  his  son  Silas  before 
going  down  town  to  the  office.  He  was  a  hard  worker  still 
and  put  in  nearly  as  many  hours  per  day  at  the  office,  as  he 
did  when  he  first  began  operations  in  Wall  street.  Hence 
the  son,  who  breakfasted  late,  or  oftener  failed  to  take  that 
meal  at  all  through  late  rising,  seldom  sipped  his  coflfee  under 
the  parental  eye.  Silas,  who  had  not  appeared  for  several 
days,  at  length  entered  the  room,  having  received  a  polite  re- 
quest to  that  effect,  which  he  facetiously  termed  an  "appoint- 
ment." He  was  dressed  in  a  neat  morning  suit;  his  linen  was 
in  perfect  condition  but  less  must  be  said  for  the  young 
gentleman  himself.  His  eyes,  and  the  lack  of  freshness  in  his 
complexion,  together  with  a  slight  tremor  of  his  hand  as  he 
opened  a  letter,  plainly  indicated  wine  and  very  late  hours,  if 
by  any  chronological  reversion  four  or  five  in  the  morning 
can  be  called  late. 

"  Good-morning,  father." 

«  Good-morning,  Silas,"  said  Mr.  Ingledee,  peering  cau- 
tiously over  the  paper,  for  much  as  he  detested  his  son's  course, 
he  loved  him  too  deeply  to  hurt  his  feelings,  by  even  the  ap- 
pearance of  scanning  his  person. 

"  You  are  almost  a  stranger  at  the  breakfast  table  lately." 

"  Yes,  society  has  been  rather  active  for  the  opening  of  the 
season,  and  if  one  keeps  in  the  swim,  he  must  naturally  con- 
sume a  good  deal  of  time,  and  some  of  that  time  must  be 
squandered  in  sleep,  and  that  is  doubtless  the  reason  of  our 
having  a  forenoon."  He  spoke  of  sleep  as  if  it  were  a  very 
inconvenient  necessity,  and  added:  "You  know  nothing 
about  all  that  of  course." 

«  Thank  heaven  I  do  not!  My  son,  haven't  you  been  in  the 
swim  about  long  enough?" 

"Oh  no,"  said  Silas,  making  a  careless  attempt  on  a  muf- 

(H) 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I5 

fin.  "  You  know  I'm  only  twenty-two,  and  at  my  age  a  man 
is  good  for  several  years  more  of  this  sort  of  thing."  He 
spoke  this  in  a  sneering  sort  of  way,  as  if  it  were  a  light  thing 
for  a  man  to  measure  out  the  priceless  years  of  youth  which  he 
could  devote  to  sin,  estimating  them  only  by  his  own  capac- 
ity of  bodily  endurance.  And  these  were  the  years  so  preg- 
nant with  future  happiness  or  misery.  In  youth  every  day 
gained  is  a  treasure,  every  day  lost  an  adder  laid  away  in  the 
bosom.  The  remark  was  so  deliberate  in  tone,  and  showed 
such  an  utter  lack  of  any  appreciation  of  the  value  of  true 
manhood,  that,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  Mr.  Ingledee's  heart 
sank  over  the  prospects  of  his  son.  He  had  long  hoped, 
remonstrated  and  waited  in  vain.  The  end  of  all  his  hopes 
was  now  plainly  in  view  unless  something  could  be  done 
soon. 

While  Mr.  Ingledee  was  grieved  to  the  heart,  he  was  also 
very  indignant.  He  had  been  brought  up  in  the  good  old 
way,  which  taught  that  the  night  was  made  for  sleep  and  the 
day  for  labor.  The  son  believed,  or  acted  as  if  he  believed, 
that  the  night  was  for  pleasure,  the  hardest  of  all  labor,  and 
the  day,  or  part  of  it,  for  taking  such  unrefreshing  slumber  as 
could  be  obtained  under  these  unnatural  conditions.  It  nettled 
Mr.  Ingledee  to  think  that  a  son  of  his  should  so  far  violate 
a  canon  of  that  common  sense  which  he  flattered  himself  was 
a  family  characteristic.  It  was  high  time  to  teach  this  young 
man  a  lesson.     He  had  begun  twenty  years  too  late. 

"  Silas,  from  time  to  time  I  have  expressed  disapproval  of 
your  course.     I  am  not  pleased  with  your  conduct." 

"  I  am  sorry,  father."  This  remark  was  a  part  of  the 
conventional  requirements  of  etiquette.  It  meant  nothing, 
and  the  father  knew  its  emptiness  as  well  as  the  son. 

"  It  is  high  time  you  gave  less  attention  to  society  and 
champagne  suppers  and  turned  to  business.  I  shall  fit  up  an 
apartment  for  you  in  our  offices." 

"  That  will  be  quite  unnecessary." 

"  I  insist  upon  it,"  said  Mr.  Ingledee,  showing  the  least 
trifle  of  heat  at  his  son's  provoking  coolness. 

"  Really,  father,  I  hope  you  will  not  press  this  disagree- 
able subject.  I  have  often  announced  my  intention  of  going 
into  the  office  in  due  time." 

"What  do  you  consider  due  time?" 

«  After  I've  seen  the  world." 

"  What  will  the  world  say  of  your  conduct,  sir?  " 


l6  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"Of  my  conduct?"  replied  Silas,  with  a  show  of  surprise. 
"  I've  done  nothing  extraordinary.  If  the  world  thinks  about 
me  at  all,  doubtless  it  will  think  my  conduct  the  proper  thing 
for  a  young  man  of  fortune."  With  exasperating  method,  he 
rang  the  bell  and  ordered  the  servant  to  take  away  his  cup  of 
coffee  which  had  grown  cold,  and  bring  him  a  fresh  one.  Mr. 
Ingledee  felt  himself  beaten.  He,  the  man  who  had  come  off 
victorious  in  a  thousand  financial  struggles,  who  had  made 
and  unmade  scores  of  men,  who  had  controlled  the  commerce 
of  entire  states  with  a  high  hand,  who  had  made  a  name 
which  had  penetrated  to  every  part  of  the  civilized  world,  he, 
with  his  mighty  millions,  was  vanquished  by  his  own  son,  a 
boy  of  twenty-two.     But  he  determined  on  one  more  effort: 

"  Is  not  the  society  of  your  own  family  worth  cultivat- 
ing?" 

"The  society  of  my  family  is,  I  believe,  considered  unex- 
ceptionable." 

"I  scarcely  ever  see  you  of  late;  your  sister  scarcely  ever 
sees  you." 

"Chetta  has  many  fi'iends  and  her  own  amusements;  she 
does  not  seek  my  society.  She  is  sensible,  for  why  should 
brother  and  sister  bore  each  other  with  commonplace  affairs?" 
As  Silas's  blunt  view  of  family*  relations  was  the  legitimate 
fruit  of  all  Mr.  Ingledee's  policy  with  regard  to  the  useless- 
ness  of  a  daughter  when  a  family  name  was  to  be  perpetuated, 
the  father  could  not  well  complain.  There  was  a  short  pause 
as  if  neither  party  to  the  conversation  cared  to  ventui-e  the 
first  remark.  After  the  space  of  a  minute,  Silas  quietly 
added : 

"As  to  seeing  me,  father,  you  know  you  can  always  do 
that  by  appointment."  This  was  too  much  for  Mr.  Ingledee. 
His  wrath  was  at  white  heat,  though  he  repressed  it,  seeing 
the  uselessness  of  further  discussion  then. 

"  I  shall  continue  this  subject  when  we  have  more  leisure," 
saying  which  he  left  the  room  and  went  directly  to  that  of 
his  daughter,  which  was  an  elegant  apartment  on  the  second 
door.  He  was  satisfied  that  something  had  gone  seriously 
wrong  with  the  family  machinery,  and  he  determined  to 
right  it. 

As  Mr.  Ingledee  knocked  at  Chetta's  door,  a  sudden  shuf- 
fling noise  greeted  his  ears.  After  a  brief  space  of  time  the 
noises  ceased  within.  He  knocked  again,  when  Chetta's 
cheery,  musical  voice  said,  "  Come  in."     Entering,  he  saw  a 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  1 7 

table  spread  with  substantial  food,  plentifully  garnished  with 
cake,  fruits  and  nuts.  At  first  glance  it  might  have  seemed 
that  the  young  lady  had  been  breakfasting  in  her  own  I'oom, 
although  that  was  improbable,  for  she  always  partook  of  the 
family  breakfast  at  earlier  hours  with  her  father.  He  paid  no 
attention  to  the  table,  thinking  she  had  been  entertaining 
some  little  girls  as  she  sometimes  did.  Mr.  Ingledee,  in  his 
ill-humor,  felt  like  finding  fault  with  his  daughter  for  not  ex- 
erting a  more  wholesome  influence  over  her  wayward  brother 
instead  of  wasting  time  on  strangers.  He  unreasonably  ex- 
pected her  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  that  scapegrace  and 
watch  over  him  with  a  mother's  care  (she  was  nearly  two 
years  his  senior),  while  father  and  son  had  both  systematically 
neglected  the  sister,  except  so  far  as  the  formal  civilities  of 
everyday  life  went. 

"My  daughter,  1  wish  to  speak  with  you."  . 

"  Yes,  papa." 

"  It  concerns  family  matters.  I  am  not  satisfied  with 
Silas." 

"  Why  do  you  not  speak  to  him  ? " 

"  I  have  done  so  repeatedly.  I  have  just  now  been  trying 
to  show  him  the  wrong  of  wasting  youth  and  its  infinite  pos- 
sibilities in  folly.  But  he  sees  things  in  a  different  light  and, 
I  regret  to  say,  is  not  inclined  to  listen  to  advice."  This  last 
admission  cost  Mr.  Ingledee  an  effort.  It  disparaged  the 
male  scion  of  the  family  who  was  everything,  and  the  very 
fact  of  his  confiding  m  his  daughter  gave  some  transient  im- 
portance to  the  female  scion,  who  was  only  a  girl. 

"  What  would  you  have  me  do,  papa?  " 

"  Try  to  have  him  more  in  your  society.  Woman's  in- 
fluence is  a  potent  element  in  the  formation  of  character." 
Chetta  laughed  a  little  incredulous,  half-contemptuous  laugh 
which  nettled  her  father,  and  added : 

"  My  brother  has  already  seen  a  great  deal  of  woman's 
society." 

Mr.  Ingledee  frowned  and  replied :  "  True,  but  he  has  as- 
sociated only  with  those  silly  creatures  of  fashionable  society 
who  have  neither  brains  nor  healthy  instincts."  He  might 
have  named  a  worse  class  of  women  also,  but  he  stopped 
short.  "  I  wish  you  to  wield  a  sister's  influence,  and,  if  possi- 
ble, elevate  his  social  standard." 

"  If  he  loved  a  sensible  woman  she  might  save  him." 

"  Chetta,  that  is  nonsense.     The  only  indication  of  com- 


l8  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

mon  sense  that  I  have  seen  in  the  young  man  is  the  fact  that 
he  has  refrained  from  falling  in  love."  A  closer  scrutiny  of 
Silas  Ingledee's  career  might  have  revealed  the  fact  that  he 
w^as  too  intent  on  selfish  pleasures  to  fall  in  love  w^ith  any- 
thing but  himself  and  his  vices. 

"  Please  tell  me  vv^hat  I  must  do,  papa." 

"  Try  to  keep  him  at  home  a  little.  Interest  him  in  your 
music.     Take  him  into  your  set.     Go  with  him  oftener." 

"  Papa,  he  never  asked  me  to  go  anywhere  in  his  life.  He 
finds  more  congenial  society  than  that  of  a  sister." 

This  astounding  revelation  was  more  than  Mr.  Ingledee 
expected,  though  he  knew  there  was  little  in  common  be- 
tween brother  and  sister.  This  aggressive,  daring,  unscrupu- 
lous man  had  for  many  years  been  piling  his  ample  vaults  full 
of  stocks,  bonds  and  mortgages.  He  had  built  up  whole  sys- 
tems of  railways,  and  wrecked  other  systems  with  as  little 
compunction  as  he  would  have  felt  in  crushing  a  spider. 
^Meanwhile  he  had  practically  abandoned  the  domestic  helm 
and  had  no  right  to  be  surprised  that  the  family  ship  was 
drifting  out  of  its  course.  He  was  very  angry,  and,  conse- 
quently, unreasonable. 

"  Daughter,  it  is  your  own  fault  that  your  brother  does  not 
seek  your  society.  You  should  make  yourself  agreeable  to  him. 
He  wastes  his  time  in  folly  and  you.  waste  3'ours  indulging 
the  caprices  of  an  idle,  romping  girl.  This  nonsense  must 
be  stopped." 

Chetta's  eyes  showed  a  slight  gleam  of  dangerous  fire  as 
she  replied,  "  Advise  me,  papa." 

"  My  advice  is  that  you  settle  down  and  take  your  place 
as  the  mistress  of  this  house,  and  devote  to  domestic  duties 
some  of  the  time  you  now  waste  in  gadding  and  nonsense." 

Chetta  was  indignant;  not  at  the  wish  of  her  father  that 
she  should  take  her  place  as  mistress  of  the  house;  that  pleased 
her  active  temperament,  and  she  had  the  good  sense  to  real- 
ize that  the  wealthiest  ladies  have  domestic  duties  that  can 
not  properly  be  delegated  to  hired  help;  but  she  was  stung  to 
think  that  her  father  and  natural  counselor  should  accuse  her 
of  neglect  of  duty  when  he  had  never  shown  her  a  single 
duty.  The  charges  of  gadding  and  idling  were  intolerable. 
She  seldom  did  anything  without  a  purpose,  and  she  despised 
mere  inanity.  With  the  quietest  sarcasm  she  replied,  "Papa, 
you  are  in  a  bad  humor  to-day." 

Scolding  betrays  a  contemptible  weakness  of  disposition, 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I9 

and  both  these  persons  had  too  much  strength  of  character  to 
scold.     Mr.  Ingledee  restrained  his  rising  passion. 

"  Chetta,  I  wish  you  to  change  entirely  your  mode  of  life, 
as  an  example  to  your  brother.  You  indulge  in  caprices.  I 
see  evidences  of  that  before  me.  You  appear  Uy  be  engaged 
in  charity  in  breakfasting  children  in  your  room." 

The  word  appear  contained  a  covert  sarcasm  in  the  slight 
emphasis  with  which  it  was  uttered. 

"  Papa,  you  forget.  An  Ingledee  never  pretends^''  re- 
plied Chetta,  in  a  tone  that  plainly  spoke  defiance  to  his 
implied  sneer.  No  possible  i-eply  could  have  touched  him 
quicker.  The  reference  to  the  Ingledee  straight-forwardness, 
of  which  he  made  capital,  was  a  home  thrust. 

"  I  had  hoped  so,  my  daughter,  but  why  do  you  conceal 
those  persons,  whoever  they  may  be?  I  plainly  heard  them 
enter  that  room." 

"  I  conceal  nothing.  I  invited  here  two  boys  from  my 
Sunday-school  class.  They  are  not  used  to  company,  and 
pei'sisted  in  running  away.     That  is  all." 

Going  to  the  door  she  called,  "  Pipe,  come  in  and  see 
papa." 

A  rare  spectacle  now  met  the  astonished  vision  of  Mr. 
Ingledee.  From  the  side  door  emerged  one  of  those  nonde- 
scripts known  as  a  newsboy.  He  was  about  twelve  years  old, 
but  large  and  well  developed  for  that  age.  He  wore  a  man's 
Prince  Albert  coat,  much  the  worse  for  wear,  whose  ample 
skirts  dangled  at  his  heels.  For  want  of  buttons  this  garment 
was  securely  and  picturesquely  fastened  at  the  waist  by  a 
hempen  string.  A  boot  which  yawned  at  the  toe  like  the 
mouth  of  a  cat-fish,  and  a  woman's  shoe  constituted  his  foot 
gear.  These,  however,  were  carefully  polished,  thereby  pre- 
senting a  striking  contrast  to  the  street-mud  brown  of  his 
pants.  The  latter  garment  had  been  newly  patched  with 
shiny  black  cloth  on  the  knees,  revealing  the  fact  that  Pipe 
Malley  had  a  mother.  Concerning  the  condition  of  the  rear 
of  the  useful  garment  referred  to,  a  modest  silence  is  best,  sup- 
plemented by  Mrs.  Malley's  opinion:  "Sure,  Pipe,  won't  the 
tail  av  the  coat  cover  them  little  holes?  When  they  get  big 
enough  I'll  see  what  they  need." 

The  patches  on  the  knees  were  the  result  of  considerable 
importunity  on  the  part  of  Pipe,  the  clinching  argument  in 
which  was  that  "  he  had  a  invite  inter  high  society,  and  had 
got  to  sling  on  a  little  style." 


20  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

Pipe's  check  shirt,  which  had  been  lately  washed,  in  con- 
sequence of  aforesaid  invite,  was  neatly  fastened  at  the  throat 
by  a  bit  of  red  tape  found  at  a  ragpicker's,  and  the  nearest 
approach  Pipe  had  ever  made  to  a  tie.  Vest,  he  had  none; 
socks,  he  had  none.  He  had  made  a  heroic  attempt  to  wash 
his  face  and  hands,  but  the  experiment  was  a  partial  failure 
resulting  in  that  streaky  appearance  which  might  appropri- 
ately be  termed  marbling.  This  ineffectual  attempt,  how- 
ever, gave  a  somewhat  better  view  of  his  visage,  which  had 
been  so  long  eclipsed.  His  features  were  not  bad,  with 
the  exception  of  a  big  mouth  and  irregular  teeth.  His  pierc- 
ing black  eyes  indicated  a  decided  disposition  not  "to  be  fooled 
with,"  to  use  one  of  Pipe's  favorite  expressions. 

Mr.  Malley  had  made  an  abortive  attempt  to  paste  his 
hair  down  on  his  forehead  after  the  prevailing  fashion  of  the 
genus  "young  gent." 

Chetta  having  complimented  him  on  this  approach  to  high 
art,  he  replied  laconically,  "  It's  mighty  expensive,  I  tell  yoti. 
I  done  up  a  ten-cent  comb  a  doirt'  up  that  hair." 

On  the  appearance  of  this  apparition  amid  his  own  highly 
I'espectable  belongings,  Mr.  Ingledee's  sense  of  humor  got  the 
better  of  his  vexation,  and  he  laughed  outright.  Pipe,  with 
the  assurance  acquired  in  his  calling,  advanced  to  the  center 
of  the  room  and  awaited  developments. 

"  Papa,  this  is  one  of  mv  Sunday-school  boys,  Mr.  Pipe 
Malley." 

The  Pipe  before  her  was  so  much  superior  to  the  Pipe  she 
had  first  known  some  months  before,  that  she  was  actually 
proud  of  him. 

Mr.  Ingledee's  quick  perceptions  noticed  this,  but  instead 
of  feeling  pleasure  in  the  thought  that  his  daughter  was  will- 
ing to  endure  a  little  trouble  to  advance  the  happiness  of 
others,  he  regretted  that  her  missionTlry  efforts  had  not  been 
expended  at  home  in  advancing  the  interests  of  the  male  In- 
gledees. 

"  You  have  a  good  teacher.  Pipe." 

"  Bet  yer  boots — I  mean  yes,  sir,"  said  Pipe,  with  a  dismal 
attempt  at  a  bow,  which  consisted  in  scraping  the  cat-fish- 
jawed  boot  backward  on  the  floor  and  twisting  his  body  in 
that  direction.  This  acrobatic  feat  made  it  impossible  for  him 
to  face  Mr.  Ingledee.  As  Pipe  had  only  one  boot,  the  odds 
of  the  proposed  wager  would  have  been  greatly  in  his  favor. 
Chetta  and  Mr.  Ingledee  both  laughed  in  spite  of  themselves. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  21 

"It  is  hard  to  avoid  that  expression,  isn't  it,  Pipe,"  said 
Chetta,  good-naturedly,  trying  to  reassure  him. 

"  You  bet  it  is,"  replied  Pipe,  whose  assurance  had  all 
vanished  amid  these  strange  surroundings,  and  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life  he  was  hopelessly  embarassed. 

Say  only,  "Yes  sir,  ayd  yes  ma'am." 

"  I  forgot — I  beg  parding." 

"Where  is  Quill?" 

"  He  wouldn't  come  out  o'  that  room.     He's  a  goose." 

Mr.  Ingledee,  to  reassure  the  boy,  asked;  "Is  it  your 
brother  who  is  in  that  room  ?  " 

"  Yes  sir,  I'm  twins." 

"Oh,  indeed!  Chetta,  call  him."  Chetta,  going  to  the 
door,  brought  out  Quill  Malley,  who  had  been  industriously 
devouring  a  pocket  full  of  nuts  and  cake  taken  from  the  table 
on  the  first  alarm.  Quill's  mouth  l)eing  full  to  repletion,  the 
excitement  of  the  occasion  caused  some  of  the  food  to  stick  in 
his  windpipe,  when  a  very  animated  fit  of  coughing  ensued. 
Pipe  promptly  administered  the  heroic  remedy  of  pounding 
him  on  the  back  with  the  seasonable  advice:  "  Brace  up,  and 
don't  give  yerself  away  before  the  govenor."  Quill  was  the 
exact  counterpart  of  Pipe,  though  a  scar  on  the  cheek,  which 
the  latter  acquired  in  a  street  fight,  furnished  a  ready  means  of 
telling  them  apart.  Quill's  dress  was  less  pretentious.  Pipe 
had  confidentially  remarked  to  Chetta  over  his  coffee: 

"There's  no  use  in  Quill  tryin'  to  catch  onto  the  style;  it 
ain't  in  him." 

His  personal  appearance  seemed  to  justify  this  observation. 
A  very  inadequate  jacket  which  Pipe  had  cast  off  as  too  small, 
struggled  vainly  to  cover  the  upper  portion  of  Quill's  person. 
His  pants  were  much  the  same  as  Pipe's,  because  the  same 
street  mud  had  furnished  color  for  both.  One  striking  differ- 
ence was  apparent.  They  had  holes  in  the  knees,  but  were 
patched  roughly  but  strongly  behind  with  the  same  shiny  black 
cloth  which  adorned  Pipe's  knees.  Mrs.  Malley,  with  timely 
investigation,  had  discovered  that  owing  to  the  shortness  of 
Quill's  jacket  patches  on  the  rear  of  his  pants  might  in  "  high 
society"  be  considered  a  necessity;  whereas,  patching  the 
knees  must  be  considered  in  the  light  of  a  luxury.  Quill  wore 
shoes  which  were  so  large  that  they  clattered  up  and  down  at 
every  step  and  were  constantly  being  lost  in  the  excitement  of 
running  down  a  customer.  His  attempt  at  wasliing  had  been 
still  more  unsuccessful  than  Pipe's.     As  to  combing  his  head 


22  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

that  part  of  Quill's  toilet  had  been  entirely  neglected  probably 
from  no  fault  of  his,  but  from  the  fact  that  Pipe,  who  was  al- 
ways first  in  everything,  and  in  the  family  vernacular  "  ruled 
the  roost,"  had  "done  up  "  the  family  comb. 

"  Speak  up,  Quill,  and  don't  make  a  guy  of  yerself  s'  if  ye 
had  never  seen  nothin'."  As  Quill, had  never  seen  anything 
like  his  present  surroundings  where  a  real  "governor"  was 
thrown  in  gratis,  his  astonishment  could  only  be  suitably  ex- 
pressed by  a  prolonged  stare.  Language  was  to  him  utterly 
inadequate. 

The  absurdity  of  the  situation  had  at  first  amused  Mr.  In- 
gledee.  But  this  millionaire,  who  was  none  too  scrupulous  in 
his  great  undertakings,  thought,  like  most  people  in  every 
rank  of  life,  that  it  was  best  at  times  to  be  a  stickler  after  lit- 
tle things.  This  weakness  of  mankind  is  one  of  the  surest 
tests  of  character.  Only  a  little  soul  will  haggle  over  little 
things.  Mr.  Ingledee,  the  many  fold  millionaire,  who  al- 
most swayed  the  finances  of  a  continent,  and  who  played  with 
railway  systems,  as  the  angler  plays  with  a  struggling  fish 
before  landing  him,  had,  with  all  his  force  of  character,  an 
exceedingly  small  soul  animated  by  unworthy  and  ungenerous 
motives.  He  was  the  very  incarnation  of  selfishness  which 
is  perhaps  the  most  despicable  of  human  vices.  He  lived, 
toiled  and  dreamed  to  pile  up  more  millions,  no  matter  how, 
and  to  keep  them  all  in  the  family  in  the  person  of  a  worth- 
less son.  This  moiling  money-king  might  have  given  a  thou- 
sand or  two  in  charity  any  day,  because  other  people  gave, 
and  because  it  was  right  to  aid  the  worthy  poor,  but  it  was 
not  the  proper  thing  to  have  dirty  newsboys  and  ragpickers 
feasting  amid  the  splendors  of  the  Ingledee  mansion. 

«  Chetta,"  he  said,  with  deliberation,  "  I  am  shocked  at 
your  low  tastes.  This  sort  of  thing  may  do  at  the  mission 
school,  though  it  might  better  be  left  to  others  entirely. 
Could  you  not  amuse  yourself  in  some  way  consistent  with 
womanly  dignity?  Almsgiving  is  very  well,  but  such  per- 
sons should  be  attended  to  at  the  kitchen  door."  This 
thrust  touched  Chetta's  pride. 

"  Papa,  you  are  mistaken.  These  boys  are  not  here  seek- 
ing alms.  They  belong  to  my  Sunday-school  class.  They 
probably  wei'e  never  invited  anywhere  before  in  their  lives, 
and  I  wished  to  give  them  a  treat.  They  are  human  be- 
ings. Is  there  anvthing  unwomanly  in  having  a  human  feel- 
ing?" 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  23 

"  Certainly  not,  my  daughter,  but  it  should  be  exercised 
with  discretion." 

"  Upon  rich  people  who  don't  need  it,  I  suppose?  " 

"  As  I  said,  the  giving  of  alms  is  very  necessary,  but  bring- 
ing tramps  and  beggars  to  the  private  table  is  another  matter. 
It  displeases  me,  and  I  hope  it  will  never  occur  again."  So 
saying,  Mr.  Ingledee  walked  from  the  room.  The  matter 
which  had  all  at  once  so  ruffled  his  sense  of  dignity,  might 
have  occurred  fifty  times  without  his  knowing  it,  thanks  to  his 
neglect  of  family  affairs. 

Pipe  Malley,  who  was  really  a  lad  of  high  spirit,  had 
swallowed  the  allusion  to  beggars  with  a  very  bad  grace.  In 
fact,  he  was  on  the  'point  of  replying  to  the  taunt  when  a 
warning  look  from  Chetta  prevented  the  execution  of  his  in- 
tention. Quill,  who  cared  for  nothing  else,  while  there  was 
plenty  to  eat  handy,  was  furtively  consuming  vast  quantities 
of  jelly  cake.  His  efforts  in  that  direction,  though  arduous, 
could  not  keep  pace  with  his  desires,  and  he  aided  his  inade- 
quate powers  by  occasionally  straightening  up  his  neck  after 
the  manner  of  a  chicken  swallowing  dry  meal.  Pipe,  happen- 
ing to  turn  around  toward  the  table,  brought  the  zealous  ef- 
forts of  his  brother  to  an  abrupt  close.  Like  many  fond  rela- 
tives, when  they  wish  to  say  something  particularly  disagree- 
able he  saw  a  chance  to  work  off  his  ill-humor  on  his  own 
blood. 

"  Quill,  wot  yer  doin'  ?  Leaf  go  that  cake.  Hain't  yer 
no  manners?  Ye  act  as  if  ye'd  never  been  in  company 
afore." 

In  justification  of  Quill  it  must  be  admitted  that  his  experi- 
ences in  company  were  rather  limited.  The  only  occasion  on 
which  he  had  ever  been  invited  out  was  years  before,  when 
his  mother  took  tea  with  one  Mrs.  Riley,  washerwoman. 
The  twins,  being  offender  age,  were  necessarily  included  in 
the  invitation.  They  played  in  the  alley  with  Patsey  Riley, 
while  the  mysterious  process  of  tea  went  on,  receiving  each  a 
huge  slice  of  bread  and  butter  and  the  drumstick  of  a  chicken, 
at  the  back  door,  to  stay  a  clamorous  appetite  until  the  second 
table  was  ready.  Quill  knew  his  brother  too  well  to  disobey 
a  wish  so  explicitly  put,  and,  though  he  was  full  to  the  nose, 
abandoned  the  table  with  a  look  of  fond  regret.  Chetta  now 
delicately  intimated  to  the  twins  that  she  would  show  them 
out.  As  they  were  on  the  stairs,  the  street  bell  rang  and  the 
servant  handed  her  a  card  inscribed,  "  Thomas  Norvvell." 


24  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Show  Mr.  Norwell  in." 

Tom  Norwell  was  a  very  old  friend  of  Chetta's,  who  was 
privileged  to  call  at  any  time.  Being  the  son  of  a  wealthy 
man  he  was  a  young  gentleman  of  leisure,  and  as  the  even- 
ings both  of  himself  and  Chetta  were  usually  taken  up  by 
some  society  event,  he  had  acquired  the  habit  of  making  short 
calls  during  the  day,  and  not  infrequently  in  the  forenoon. 
As  Chetta  was  an  early  ,riser,  there  was  no  difficulty  in  find- 
ing her  at  home.  Quill,  on  hearing  the  front  door  open,  be- 
came panic  stricken.  He  feared  that  the  governor  was 
returning,  and  had  serious  doubts  as  to  what  might  be  the  in- 
tentions of  that  worthy  should  he  discover  this  undesirable 
company  still  on  his  premises.  Quill  t^iought  it  best  to  beat 
a  hasty  retreat,  and  remembering  that  he  came  in  the  back 
way,  determined  to  go  out  at  the  rear,  as  involving  less  pub- 
licity. He  bolted  back  through  the  hallway,  and  in  his  precipi- 
tation lost  one  shoe,  exposing  a  chocolate-colored  foot.  A  shoe 
was  not  to  be  considered  when  personal  safety  was  involved, 
and  Quill  kept  on  till  his  flight  abruptly  terminated  in  a  small 
sitting-room  at  the  end  of  the  hall.  Tom  Norwell  laughed 
heartily,  but  Chetta  had  seen  so  many  freaks  of  the  twins  that 
it  caused  her  no  surprise. 

"Miss  Ingledee,  are  you  training  a  circus  troupe?" 

"  No,  Mr.  Norwell,  I've  had  some  company  to  a  quiet 
breakfast — two  of  my  class." 

"  Ah,  delightfully  original  company,  I  should  say." 

"Very!  I  take  great  interest  in  studying  chai'acters  so 
different  from  any  I  have  been  accustomed  to." 

PijDC  M alley's  sense  of  family  dignity  was  again  outraged 
by  Quill's  conduct.  Making  a  run  after  the  fugitive  he 
brought  him  back  triumphantly  by  the  collar. 

"  Come  up  and  be  interduced.  Wot  ye  runnin'  away  fur? 
An'  one  shoe  off,  too!  I'm  ashamed  of  ye,  I  am.  I'll  never 
make  nothin'  o'  you." 

The  shoe  was  replaced  by  the  humiliated  and  silent  Quill, 
and  the  twins  formed  in  line  to  be  introduced. 

"Mr;  Norwell,  allow  me  to  introduce  Mr,  Pipe  Malley, 
Mr.  Quill  Malley." 

Pipe  drew  back  the  cat  fish  boot  much  as  the  leg  of  a  com- 
pass would  move,  and  twisted  his  body  stiffly  to  the  right,  at 
the  same  time  nudging  Quill,  who,  not  having  fully  recovered 
from  his  panic,  ducked  his  head  several  times  excitedly,  his 
actions   resembline  those  of  a   eoose   in  a  hail   storm.     Of 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  25 

course  he  overdid  it,  and  Pipe  was  again  mortified.  He  felt 
called  upon  to  apolo2;ize  for  Quill. 

"  Miss  Ingledee,  if  you  please,  ma'am,  Quill  is  sort  o'  broke 
up.  He  ain't  used  to  this  kind  o'  thing,  but  I  guess  he'll  come 
out  all  right." 

Chetta  kindly  replied  that  she  thought  he  would  come  out, 
while  Quill  mentally  resolved  he'd  never  come  out  again  if  he 
knew  it.  Like  many  other  resolves  of  loftier  purpose,  this 
one  was  broken.  It  afterward  went  to  pieces  under  the 
seductive  influences  of  ice-cream  and  jelly  cake.  Clietta  di- 
rected the  servant  to  show  out  the  twins,  while  she  herself  led 
the  way  into  the  parlor. 


CHAPTER    in. 

THE    MORAL    ASPECTS    OF    A    DOLLAR. 

Mr.  Norwell,  Tom's  father,  lived  in  an  aristocratic  neigh- 
borhood on  one  of  the  up-tovvn  cross  streets,  and  near  Fifth 
avenue.  The  fiimily  mansion  was  a  large,  old-fashioned,  red- 
brick house  of  homely  exterior.  Lest  the  impression  may 
prevail  from  this  statement  that  it  was  built  by  the  Dutch  set- 
tlers, the  reader  is  reminded  that  people  often  go  out  of  fash- 
ion in  America  in  one  year,  houses  in  from  two  to  ten. 
Nothing  in  its  outwaid  appearance  distinguished  it  from  doz- 
ens of  other  houses  in  that  vicinity.  Within,  all  its  appoint- 
ments showed  it  to  be  the  home  of  a  family  of  abundant 
means  and  excellent  taste.  The  heavy  carpets  sank  under 
the  feet  like  the  velvety  moss  in  a  deep  forest.  Costly  pic- 
tures by  artists  of  note  adorned  the  walls  of  the  spacious  par- 
lors and  reception  rooms.  The  library  contained  a  large 
collection  of  valuable  books  selected,  however,  more  with 
reference  to  their  intrinsic  worth  than  to  rarity  or  the  acci- 
dental merit  of  historical  interest. 

Mr.  Norwell  had  made  a  fortune  as  a  manufacturer,  and 
some  five  years  before  the  date  at  which  this  story  begins,  had 
retired  from  business  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labor.  He  was 
a  gentleman  in  the  widest  sense  of  the  term.  His  intellectual 
faculties  were  decidedly  above  the  average,  and  he  passed  for  a 
well-informed  man.     But  his  wealth  was  the  result  more  of  a 


26  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

fortunate  combination  of  circumstances  tlian  from  any  remark- 
able degree  of  foresight,  though  he  was  a  hard-working,  care- 
ful man.  A  lucky  hit  in  the  manufacture  of  a  certain  line  of 
popular  goods,  by  a  process  hard  to  imitate,  had  made  his  for- 
tune almost  to  his  surprise. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Norwell's  retirement  from  business,  his 
wife  died,  and  the  family  now  consisted  of  himself,  his  son 
Tom,  and  a  daughter,  Alice.  Tom  was  a  big,  hearty,  good- 
humored  fellow,  six  feet  high,  with  a  fine  figure.  His  light 
hair  was  slightly  inclined  to  curl.  His  eyes  were  a  light  blue, 
full  of  tenderness  and  expression.  His  well-developed  chin 
was  smoothly  shaven,  and  his  full  lips  parted,  or  had  a  ten- 
dency to  part  very  slightly,  indicating  a  love  of  pleasure  and 
a  lack  of  firmness.  His  nose  was  clearly  cut  and  his  forehead 
prominent,  indicating  more  than  average  brain  power.  His 
flow  of  animal  spirits,  resulting  from  exuberant  health,  in- 
clined him  to  an  activity  and  restlessness  scarcely  to  be  ex- 
pected in  a  young  man  whose  only  mission  is  to  inherit  and 
spend  his  father's  money.  Tom  was  so  generous  and  so  good 
natured  that  everybody  liked  him.  He  was  the  beau  ideal  of 
the  ladies,  for  he  possessed  those  qualities  which,  combined 
with  youth  and  a  handsome  person,  invariably  make  captive 
the  female  heart. 

Alice  Norwell  was  slightly  above  the  medium  height  and 
had  little  resemblance  to  her  brother.  She  had  brown  hair,  a 
clear,  beautiful  brown  eye,  that  carried  conviction  of  honesty 
in  its  steady  open  expression,  mouth  rather  large,  lips  clear 
cut  but  not  full.  Her  mouth,  which  closed  firmly  when  in 
repose,  indicated  decision  and  steadiness  of  purpose.  Her 
delicately  chiseled  nose  was  large  and  inclined  somewhat  to 
the  Roman  type,  with  a  good  breadth  of  nostril.  There  was 
not  the  fraction  of  a  grain  of  superfluous  flesh  about  that  very 
expressive  adjunct  to  the  human  countenance.  The  forehead 
was  rather  too  prominent  to  be  considered  beautiful  in  a 
woman.  A  prominent  but  well-rounded  chin,  the  oval  out- 
line of  the  face  and  a  pleasing  expression  saved  their  possessor 
from  being  called  homely.  Her  expression  was  one  of  thought- 
fulness  and  kindly  interest. 

Alice  Norwell  could  not  be  called  a  handsome  woman, 
yet  the  most  fastidious  connoisseur  of  female  beauty  would 
never  have  thought  of  calling  her  homely.  She  was  a  woman 
who  could  entertain  intelligent  people  on  most  subjects,  yet 
was  no  blue  stocking.    The  young  man  of  the  period  (I  mean 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  2^ 

the  society  young  man  who  thinks  the  mission  of  the  race  is 
to  waltz)  would  care  Httle  for  her  from  the  fiict  that  the  pitia- 
ble occupation  of  a  fop  disqualifies  him  from  discriminating 
between  the  intellectual  diamond  and  a  very  shabby  paste  imi- 
tation. His  tastes  all  incline  him  toward  the  latter  by  a  spe- 
cies of  instinct,  just  as  his  wit  never  soars  above  a  pun.  This, 
doubtless,  is  in  accordance  with  nature's  universal  law,  that 
like  always  produces  or  selects  like. 

Miss  Norwell  understood  all  the  recreations  of  high 
society.  She  danced  well,  she  skated,  she  played  a  capital 
game  of  whist;  if  courtesy  required  it  she  could  talk  airy 
nothings  after  the  fashion  of  the  most  assiduous  prattlers, 
though  she  always  reckoned  time  spent  in  such  conversation, 
if  conversation  it  may  be  called,  as  practically  lost,  so  far  as 
any  useful  purpose  is  concerned.  She  recognized  one  tangi- 
ble result,  the  negative  satisfaction  that  such  exercise  teaches  us 
how  silly  mankind  may  become,  and  shows  us,  if  we  are  not 
hopelessly  sense  blind,  to  avoid  such  depths  of  garrulous  idiocy. 
One  thing  she  could  not  do,  she  could  not  flirt.  Though  con- 
scious of  her  power  of  pleasing  many  men,  she  confined  that 
power  to  its  legitimate  scope. 

She  looked  on  that  enticing  social  game  in  which  the 
stakes  are  hearts  (often  the  property  of  some  one  else)  in  its 
true  light,  as  a  social  sin.  For  this  and  other  reasons  she 
looked  upon  Chetta  Ingledee  with  secret  mistrust,  for  she 
thought  she  discovered  in  that  eccentric  young  lady  a  dispo- 
sition to  flirt,  and  worst  of  all,  to  flirt  with  her  brother  Tom. 
This  was  the  cause  of  a  growing  dislike  toward  Chetta. 
For  one  woman  to  forage  on  the  social  or  domestic  preserves 
of  another,  brothers  included  in  a  lesser  degree,  is  always  an 
unpardonable  oflTence  in  the  eyes  of  that  other.  Alice  had 
too  much  good  sense  to  precipitate  a  rupture  on  insufficient 
grounds.  Hence,  the  families  of  Ingledee  and  Norwell  were 
still  on  good  terms,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Mr.  Ingledee  was 
a  rising  money  king,  with  a  great  many  millions,  and  Mr. 
Norwell  a  poor  man  with  only  two  or  three  millions,  and  two 
children  to  support  in  the  bargain. 

At  the  present  time  there  was  visiting  the  familv  a  young 
man,  Arthur  Wilson,  who  was  the  son  of  one  of  Mr.  Nor- 
wcll's  old  friends.  His  father  had  been  brought  up  in  the 
same  neighborhood  in  New  York  State,  in  which  Mr.  Nor- 
well lived  when  a  boy.  The  latter  had  at  an  early  age,  come 
to  the  city  to  seek  his  fortune,  and  now  the  son  of  his  former 


28  AN    IROX    CROWN. 

friend,  released  from  the  ties  of  his  native  place  by  the  death 
of  his  parents,  had  pursued  the  same  course. 

As  Arthur  Wilson  plays  a  very  important  part  in  this  his- 
tory, the  reader  may  as  well  know  at  once  what  manner  of 
man  he  was.  He  was  about  twenty-two  years  of  age,  which 
perhaps  is  the  most  interesting  period  in  the  life  of  a  man, 
potent  as  it  is  with  unmeasured  possibilities  for  good  or  evil. 
It  is  the  age  at  which  the  springing  powers  of  nature  assert 
themselves  in  full  force,  and  the  youthful  mind  possesses  a 
confidence  which  can  be  measured  only  by  its  inexperience. 
The  young  man  is  now  freed  from  paternal  restraint,  and  his 
self-conceit  springs  full  armed  like  Minerva  from  the  head  of 
Jove.  He  thinks  it  the  proper  thing  to  have  opinions  on  every 
subject,  and  very  decided  ones  too.  He  imagines  it  enhances 
his  social  importance  to  be  a  little  reckless,  and  occasionally 
he  shocks  his  friends  by  fostering  skepticism  at  the  period 
when  he  begins  to  nurture  a  moustache.  If  home  restraints  have 
been  irksome  he  is  liable,  in  his  new  found  liberty  to  gravitate 
dangerously  near  the  opposite  extreme  of  the  social  plane, 
and  undo  in  a  few  years  or  months,  the  result  of  many  years 
of  anxious  but  mistaken  parental  care.  On  the  other  hand,  no 
matter  how  aimless  his  life,  if  not  criminal,  the  exuberant 
impulses  of  youth  may  be  diverted  into  wholesome  channels, 
and  the  scapegrace  boy  become  the  corner-stone  of  society  as 
a  man. 

It  was  greatly  in  young  Wilson's  favor  tliat  he  had  been 
obliged  to  earn  his  own  living.  No  school  is  so  wholesome 
and  efficient  as  the  school  of  respectable  poverty.  The  ardu- 
ous labor  and  wholesome  fare  of  farm  life,  had  developed  a 
physical  and  mental  structure,  which  was  a  splendid  capital  in 
itself  to  begin  life  on.  In  person  he  was  five  feet  eight,  stoutly 
built  with  broad  chest,  and  firm,  well-turned  limbs.  He  had 
very  thick  light  hair,  which  inclined  to  stand  up  and  straggle 
in  defiance  of  propriety  and  comb.  He  had  a  keen  gray  eye, 
.Grecian  nose,  firm  mouth  inclined  to  humor  and  a  wide,  round 
chin.  He  possessed  a  vigorous,  well-trained  will  power,  and 
large  conscientiouness  combined  with  a  becoming  dignity.  A 
self-esteem  which  might  have  become  obnoxious,  under  un- 
favorable conditions,  had  been  well  toned  down  under  the 
hard  knocks  of  adverse  fortune.  He  had  learned  early,  that  it 
is  hard  for  a  poor  boy  to  indulge  in  the  pyrotechnic  display, 
vulgarly  known  as  setting  the  world  on  fire. 

"  Then  you  have  determined  definitely  to  settle  in  the  city, 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  29 

Arthur?"  said  Mr.  Norwell,  as  the  family  and  their  jjucst  sat 
at  breakfast. 

"  Yes,  it  seems  to  me  the  countr}'  afforcls  very  poor  oppor- 
tunities for  rising  in  the  world.  Father  worked  hard  all  his 
hfe  on  his  little  farm  and  then  died  poor." 

"Yet  you  always  hail  enough  to  eat  and  wear,  and  some 
good  books  to  read  ?" 

"  Oh  yes,  we  always  had  plenty  of  those  things,  but  I 
hardly  call  that  living." 

"  When  a  man  goes  beyond  the  necessaries  and  homely 
comforts  of  life,  his  wants  are  only  a  question  of  purse,  incli- 
nation and  caprice.  It  is  just  as  easy,  my  boy,  to  spend  twenty 
thousand  per  year  as  five  thousand,  and  be  no  better  ofTfor  it, 
too." 

"  I  should  like  to  be  able  to  try  it  for  awhile,"  said  Wilson. 

"  I  should  get  a  great  deal  of  fun  out  of  it  I'm  sure,"  added 
Tom. 

"And  do  a  great  many  foolish  things  no  doubt,  Thomas," 
retorted  Mr.  Norwell.  "  I  see  Arthur,  you  have  the  orthodox 
American  idea,  that  a  man  without  money  is  hardly  worth 
considering.  It  is  a  fallacy;  honest  poverty  is  infinitely  more 
honorable  than  ill-gotten  or  criminally  gotten  wealth." 

"  A  poor  man  is  all  well  enough,"  said  Tom,  "  but  you 
know  very  well  he  amounts  to  nothing  nowadays." 

"  That  is  from  the  rich  man's  standpoint,"  quietly  replied 
Alice. 

"From  any  standpoint  you  choose.  I  mean  to  make  a  for- 
tune early  in  life." 

"  It  is  hard  work,  Thomas,  and  usually  it  does  not  come 
early,"  said  Mr.  Norwell.  "You  will  have  a  competence  if 
you  only  take  care  of  it.  As  a  rule  the  mere  drudgery,  rivalry, 
and  selfishness  necessary  to  acquiring  a  fortune,  crush  out 
most  of  the  desirable  qualities  of  manhood,  and  render  the 
attainment  of  a  high  ideal  impossible.  Arthur,  my  advice  is 
go  back  to  the  country.  You  may  never  be  a  rich  man,  but 
you  will  always  be  sure  of  honor  and  a  competence  by  rea- 
sonable effort.  The  country  is  nature's  smiling  workshop, 
the  city  is  a  vast  treadmill,  where  every  toiler  is  a  beast  of 
burden  chained  to  his  post.  In  the  country  the  self-respecting 
poor  man  is  an  esteemed  member  of  societ}-.  The  alluring 
pleasures  of  city  society  are  not  for  the  poor  man,  nor  even  for 
the  man  of  moderate  means.  You  have  read  \vith  envy  doubt- 
less, of  the  brilliant  receptions,  balls  and  doings  of  the  gay  in- 


30  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

habitants  of  Gotham.  The  people  who  can  afford  all  that 
are  a  small  number  compared  with  the  toiling  thousands. 
Onl}'  a  golden  key  will  unlock  the  doors  of  these  abodes  of 
elegant  pleasure,  and  then  you  will  find  them  vanity  and  dis- 
appointment. It's  hard  work,  and  the  game  isn't  worth  the 
candle.     Stick  to  the  country." 

"  Father,  this  vanity  you  speak  of  is  a  very  popular  one  at 
least.     I  intend  to  show  Arthur  some  of  it." 

"And  I'll  show  him  its  silliness,"  added  Alice.  "You 
needn't  think,  Tom,  you  are  going  to  monopolize  our  guest." 

"He  has  no  notion  to  try  your  philosophy  now,  sister. 
Have  you,  Wilson  ?" 

"I  should  be  glad  to  study  all  phases  of  city  life,  and  I 
flatter  myself  that  my  wish  may  be  gratified  under  such  com- 
petent guidance  as  that  of  yourself  and  Miss  Norwell." 

"  If  you  really  conclude  to  try  your  fortune  here,"  said  Mr. 
Norwell,  "  I- think  I  can  get  you  something  to  do.  I  have 
shown  you  the  worst  side  to  begin  on,  you  know." 

"  And  it  seems  to  me  you  have  stated  it  very  unfairly," 
added  Tom.  "  Look  at  the  vast  fortunes  made  in  cities.  Look 
at  Mr.  Ophir,  your  old  friend." 

"  Thomas,  there  is  only  one  Ophir."  In  explanation  it 
may  be  said  that  Mr.  Ophir  had  also  sprung  from  a  farmer's 
family.  He,  while  a  boy,  had  quitted  the  farm  and  after  en- 
gaging in  various  respectable  occupations,  had  finally  gravi- 
tated to  the  level  of  a  railroad-stock  manipulator  with  the 
most  unexampled  success.  He  now  owned  more  railroads 
than  his  own  poor  old  father  had  ever  owned  cows. 

"Where  there  is  one  Ophir,  there  may  be  two." 

"  I  hope  not,  Thoinas;  one  is  quite  sufficient.  In  fact,  I 
think  the  country  would  be  better  off  if  none  had  ever  existed." 

"  Look  at  Ingledee,  too." 

"Tom,"  Alice  quietly  interposed,  "your  examples  are  far 
fetched  and  absurd.  Mr.  Wilson  certainly  would  not  think 
of  engaging  in  any  business  subject  to  such  fluctuations  and 
.uncertainties  as  stock  gambling.     Nobody  would." 

"  Plenty  of  people  do,"  replied  Tom.  "  There  is  stacks  of 
money  to  be  made  in  Wall  street,  and  I  shall  enter  it  myself 
some  day." 

"  Better  keep  out,  my  son.  It  is  all  a  lottery,  and  the  best 
of  them  go  to  the  wall  sooner  or  later.  Money  won  unfairly 
always  proves  a  curse  to  its  possessor.  The  trite  adage,  Money 
is  the  root  of  all  evil,  is  a  trite  falsehood.     Money  earned  in 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


31 


legitimate  ways  is,  if  I  may  employ  such  a  figure,  preserved 
labor.  We  take  a  portion  of  it  from  our  store,  and  use  it 
when  needed,  as  we  would  use  a  can  of  fruit  preserved  for  a 
similar  purpose.  If  labor  be  man's  chiefest  blessing,  then 
such  money  is  wholly  a  blessing,  for  it  is  only  another  form 
of  labor." 

"  It  is  the  money  we  are  after  nowadays,  father,  and  if  we 
can  make  in  Wall  street  in  a  few  days  what  formerly  %-e- 
quired  years  of  toil,  what  is  the  odds,  so  we  have  the  money  ?" 

"You  forget,  Thomas,  that  the  moral  influences  pertain- 
ing to  a  dollar  are  of  infinitely  greater  value  than  the  dollar 
itself." 

The  moral  aspect  of  a  dollar!  Tom  laughed  heartily  at 
the  idea.  This  young  man  had  been  taught  to  attend  church 
regularly,  and  to  pray  at  his  mother's  knee  as  a  child.  He 
had  handled  many  dollars  and  spent  still  more,  but  here  was 
presented  a  new  and  totally  unexpected  aspect  of  this  useful 
and  exceedingly  attractive  coin.  The  moral  aspects  of  a 
dollar!     He  was  inclined  to  jocularity,  and  laughed  again. 

"  Father,  when  I  find  an  unusually  moral  dollar  I  intend 
to  take  it  into  Wall  street  as  a  curiosity." 

"  Go  into  the  street  as  an  operator  and  get  out  with  sound 
morals,  and  you  will  have  accomplished  the  same  object," 
said  Mr.  Norwell  drily. 

"  Remember,  Tom,"  said  Wilson,  "  that  a  waste  of  morals 
accompanies  a  waste  of  dollars." 

"  So  on  our  explorations,  we'll  save  both,"  added  Tom. 

"  The  idea  of  two  young  men  seeing  New  York  under 
such  parsimonious  conditions,"  observed  Alice  satirically. 

"By  the  way,  father," queried  Tom,  "have  you  made  any  ar- 
rangements with  Mr.  Ophir  yet,  concerning  those  Continental 
and  Pacific  bonds  and  stocks?  From  all  appearances  they  are 
the  best  thing  ever  offered  to  the  public." 

"  I  shall  see  him  to-day  about  the  matter.  Ophir  is  very 
sure  that  they  are  just  what  I  want  for  permanent  invest- 
ment." 

"  Papa,  have  you  never  thought  that  Mr.  Ophir  is  himself 
the  leader  in  Wall  street?  " 

"  Certainly,  Alice.  I  also  remember  that  he  is  my  old 
personal  friend;  that  I  have  helped  him  out  of  many  a  diffi- 
culty in  the  old  days,  and  that  he  has  helped  me  more  than 
once.  I  can  rely  on  John  Ophir,  though  others  have  cause  of 
complaint.     Now,  children,"   said  Mr.  Norwell,  rising  from 


32  AX     IKON    CROWN. 

the  table,  "  I  shall  expect  you  to  make  Mr.  Wilson  feel  at 
home.  Your  forces  are  ample  for  the  occasion.  In  seeing 
New  York  as  it  is,  you  will  not  need  the  aid  of  an  old-fash- 
ioned chap  like  me." 

"I  shall  draw  on  you  unsparingly,  nevertheless,"  said 
Arthur,  with  a  pleasant  smile. 

"  We  two  can  get  along  famously,''  Tom  added,  thought- 
lessly, forgetting  that  he  had  a  sister. 

That  sister  had  no  notion  of  being  quietly  ignored  in  tha« 
fashion.  With  a  quizzical  glance  which  rebuked  Tom's 
thoughtlessness,  she  asked: 

"  May  I  not  offer  my  assistance? " 

"  I  shall  be  only  to  glad  to  accept  it,"  Wilson  replied,  he- 
fore  Tom  could  say  a  word.  The  company  now  broke  up. 
Tom  and  Arthur  took  a  run  around  town  where  everything 
was  new  to  the  latter.  Mr.  Nor  well  ordered  his  carriage 
with  a  view  to  driving  down  town,  and  interviewing  Mr. 
Ophir. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


SOWING    THE    WIND. 


That  great  man,  Ophir,  so  great  in  notoriety,  was  not  a 
striking  personage  to  behold.  He  was  not  above  medium 
size.  His  head  was  large  and  long,  both  literally  and  figu- 
ratively. His  quick,  restless  gray  eye  which  v^^as  shaded  by  a 
queer,  spiny-looking  brow,  was  as  pitiless  as  a  serpent's,  and 
betrayed  no  more  emotion  than  does  the  eye  of  a  tish.  Its 
calm  deliberate  gaze  revealed  no  secrets,  while  you  instinct- 
ively felt  that  it  read  your  thoughts.  His  nose  was  long  and 
sharp;  his  chin  slightly  turned  up  to  meet  it;  his  face  was 
covered  by  a  thick  black  beard  carefully  trimmed. 

Mr.  Ophir  was  plainly  dressed  in  a  neat  business  suit  of 
brown  cassimere.  Beyond  a  heavy  gold  w^atch  and  chain,  he 
w^ore  no  jewelry  whatever.  Mr.  Ophir  had  other  more  effec- 
tive ways  of  advertisi^jig  himself  than  the  cheap  one  of  showy, 
dress.  His  ofhce  and  its  furniture  were  in  keeping  with  the 
man.  A  serviceable  carpet  covered  the  floor.  A  very  large  wal- 
nut desk,  which  had  a  multiplicity  of  pigeon-holes,  numerous 
letter  files,  a  few  comfortable  chairs,  and  a  bookcase  contain- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  33 

ing  chiefly  volumes  ot  statistics,  commercial  reports  and  neces- 
sary works  of  reference,  constituted  the  furniture.  Over  his 
desk  was  a  beautiful  model  of  his  fast-sailing  steam  yacht,  one 
of  the  fastest  ever  built,  and  in  every  way  the  pride  of  a  man 
who  controlled  so  much  steam  in  an  age  of  steam.  Every- 
thing in  the  office  was  substantial,  and  all,  including  the  yacht 
which  represented  a  gigantic  advertisement,  subserved  one 
object — business. 

Mr.  Ophir  had  been  a  country  boy.  He  knew  what  pov- 
•erty  was  and  he  knew  what  hard  work  was.  Though  his 
-wealth  was  variously  estimated  at  from  fifty  to  seventy-five 
millions,  he  was  to  be  found  at  his  desk  in  his  private  office, 
or  closeted  with  his  brokers  in  the  vicinity  during  business 
hours  most  of  the  time,  unless  when  absent  from  the  city 
looking  after  his  numerous  great  railway  properties.  He  was 
still  in  fact  a  hard  worker  though  so  very  rich,  and  it  was  a 
common  remark  among  his  clerks  that  he  could  accomplish 
more  work  in  a  given  time  under  pressure  than  any  man 
among  them.  The  instinct  of  accumulation  is  an  appetite 
that  never  feels  satiet}^,  but  whets  on  a  surfeit  of  food. 
Coupled  with  ambition,  it  drove  this  delving  slave  daily  to 
the  task  of  piling  his  great  pyramid  a  little  higher. 

The  strain  upon  the  great  stock  operator,  or  gambler,  if 
the  reader  prefers  the  plainer  term,  during  periods  of  un- 
usual excitement  in  the  markets,  is  something  tremendous  and 
almost  inconceivable  to  the  uninitiated.  With  immense  inter- 
ests at  stake,  perhaps  mounting  into  millions,  and  the  possi- 
bility that  the  fluctuations  of  a  day  or  even  an  hour  may 
make  or  unmake  fortunes,  the  strain  upon  the  human  ma- 
chines involved  in  these  tremendous  operations  is  something 
terrific.  Compared  with  life  at  such  a  time  the  existence  of 
the  galley-slave  may  be  envied.  He,  poor  wretch,  feels  that 
whatever  may  happen,  nothing  worse  can  befall  him  while 
the  dealer  in  "options"  may  be  compelled  to  sit  down,  not 
calmly,  for  that  is  impossible,  but  despairingly,  and  see  a  re- 
morseless turn  of  the  market  consume  his  fortune  to  the  last 
penny. 

Nay,  it  does  not  always  stop  there,  but  often  leaves  the  mis- 
erable incubus  of  a  debt  which  he  can  never  repay.  He  may 
kiss  his  smiling  wife  and  prattling  babes  a  fond  adieu  in  the 
morning,  with  the  self-satisfaction  of  a  man  worth  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  and  at  night  drag  his  wretched  steps 
through  the  door  of  his  beautiful   home  with   a  debt  of  one 


34  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

hundred  thousand  dollars.  There  is  to  him  sometimes  one  of 
those  compensations  with  which  nature  alleviates  nearly  every 
great  evil.  The  very  character  of  his  operations  often  so 
deadens  his  finer  sense  of  honor,  if  he  ever  had  any,  that  he 
looks  with  indifference  on  the  debt  remaining  and  reserves 
his  laments  for  the  money  gone  forever.  Speculation  is  a 
hideous  cancer  on  modern  civilization,  that  eats  up  not  only 
bodily  substance,  but  honor  as  well. 

]Mr.  Ophir  was  a  man  among  millions  for  the  business. 
A  great  nation  of  fifty  millions,  fortunately,  has  produced  but 
four  or  five  like  him,  and  none  so  successful.  He  often  lost, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  but  he  did  not  whine  over  his  losses.  In- 
stead, he  quietly  and  warily  laid  his  plans  for  accomplishing 
that  anatomic  feat  surgically  known  in  Wall  street  as  "  taking 
the  hides"  of  his  opponents.  Another  of  nature's  compensa- 
tions may  here  be  remarked.  Wall  street  operators,  like  eels, 
are  used  to  being  skinned.  The  country,  though  pretty 
well  used  to  it,"  too,  shows  symptoms  of  raising  serious  ob- 
jections. ' 

As  JSIr.  Norwell  entered  the  corridor  of  the  building  in 
which  Ophir's  offices  were  situated,  he  noticed  a  powerful 
Italian  lounging  about  without  any  apparent  purpose.  This 
fellow  was  a  giant  in  build,  with  the  strength  of  an  ox,  and 
the  dangerous  stealth  of  a  tiger.  He  carefully  scanned  each 
visitor,  though  appearing  to  see  nothing,  out  of  little  coal- 
black  eyes  hid  under  shaggy  brows.  Mr.  Norwell  presented 
his  card  to  the  usher,  who,  seeing  Ophir's  well-known  signa- 
ture, naming  an  appointment  at  the  hour  which  had  just 
struck,  at  once  admitted  him  to  the  presence  of  the  great 
Ophir.  At  the  same  time  the  bmly  Italian  quietly  slipped  in- 
to the  outer  reception-room,  and  seating  himself,  industriously 
read  a  paper.  Who  was  this  mysterious  man?  Only  Mr. 
Ophir's  shadow — a  very  substantial  one,  who  followed  him 
everywhere,  lest  some  of  the  aforesaid  gentlemen  whose  cuti- 
cle had  been  removed,  perhaps  with  insufficient  gentleness, 
should  offer  the  anatomist  personal  attentions  of  an  unpleasant 
nature.  Such  is  the  divinity  that  hedges  round  a  railway 
king.    Ophir  greeted  his  old  friend  with  great  cordiality. 

"  Good-morning,  Norwell.     How  are  you?" 

«  Fn-st  rate,  Ophir,  first  rate." 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you.  I  envy  your  hap])incss  since  you  re- 
tired from  business.  For  old  friends  we  see  little  of  each 
other." 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  35 

"  I  am  sorry  for  that,  too,  Ophir,  for  after  all  there  are 
no  friends  quite  so  near  as  early  friends." 

"  Yes,  it  takes  twenty  years  to  make  a  friend,  and  old  fel- 
lows like  ourselves  haven't  the  time.  We  make  only  ac- 
quaintances." 

"  Why  don't  you  retire  from  business,  too,  and  take  life 
easy.     You  have  money  enough." 

"  In  my  position  that  is  very  hard  to  do.  Of  coui'se  I  care 
nothing  for  more  money.  But  the  love  of  the  business  grows, 
and  really  I  think  I  see  opportunity  for  two  or  three  crown- 
ing achievements  yet  before  I  quit.  But,"  he  added  abruptly, 
"  we  are  wasting  time.  You  wanted  information  concerning: 
Continental  and  Pacific,  I  believe?" 

"  Yes,  and  I  have  called  on  you  as  an  old  friend  for  inside 
facts.     Is  it  a  good  thing  and  a  safe  thing?" 

"  It  is  the  best  thing  in  the  market.  As  an  evidence  of 
my  faith  in  it,  I  will  say  that  I  control  nearly  a  third  of  the 
whole  stock,  and  own  a'  very  large  holding  6f  its  bonds. 
Chrysolite  is  also  largely  interested.  I  will  give  you  a  few 
details.  As  you  are  aware  the  government  grants  us  a  large 
bonus  in  bonds.  In  the  mountain  portions  this  bonus  is 
doubled,  and  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  over  the  crest 
trebled."  Mr.  Ophir  added  with  refreshing  naivete,  "We  hope 
to  be  able  to  get  a  bill  through  Congress  authorizing  us  to  issue 
our  own  bonds  for  at  least  an  equal  amount,  giving  them  pre- 
cedence over  the  government  lien  as  a  first  mortgage  on  the 
road.  We  shall  also  try  to  get  the  land  grant  doubled.  This 
bill,  of  course,  is  not  absolutely  certain  to  pass,  but  we  hope 
to  convince  Congress  of  the  desirability  of  such  action." 

The  private  arguments  employed  to  influence  Congress- 
men by  Mr.  Ophir  and  his  fellow-conspirators  of  the  Midland 
Pacific,  are  a  matter  of  surmise,  almost  reaching  proof  posi- 
tive; that  they  carried  their  point  is  a  matter  of  history.  The 
new  bill  passed  in  due  time,  and  by  its  provisions  many  mil- 
lions of  dollars  and  several  additional  million  acres  of  land 
were  absolutely  given  to  these  great  corporations.  Mr.  Nor- 
well  thought  he  was  beginning  to  see  inside  facts. 

It  may  be  remarked  here,  though  a  rather  obvious  deduc- 
tion, that  when  a  man  in  such  cases  applies  for  "  inside"  facts 
with  the  previous  belief  that  there  may  be  money  made  from 
such  knowledge,  he  has  taken  the  first  step  toward  reconcil- 
ing himself  to  those  facts,  and,  indeed,  toward  getting  on  the 
inside  himself  as  speedily  as  possible.     Mr.  Norwell  had   no 


36  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

dishonorable  motive  wliatever.  He  would  have  scorned  to 
take  advantage  of  any  one.  It  had  merely  been  hinted  to 
him  that  some  one  was  going  to  make  a  great  deal  of  money 
out  of  this  colossal  railway  enterprise.  If  it  was  to  be  made, 
and  he  could  do  it  legitimately,  he  would  take  his  share.  But 
he  was  hardly  prepared  for  so  refreshing  a  statement  of  the 
case.  He  had  some  questions  to  ask.  Mr.  Ophir,  who  seldom 
mistook  his  man,  was  ready  to  answer: 

"  May  not  the  opposition  in  Congress  inquire  into  this 
matter?     What  will  the  papers  say?  " 

"  Doubtless  there  will  be  some  debate  in  Congress,  and 
some  objections.  There  always  are.  But  the  people  will  not 
understand  the  question  any  further  than  that  there  was  a 
great  deal  of  speech-making."  Such,  it  must  be  confessed,  is 
too  often  the  case.  The  people  think  that  the  Honorable  Blank 
had  a  very  lively  tilt  with  the  Honorable  Shank,  whose  ob- 
struction tactics  became  disagreeable,  and  that  Blank  effect- 
ively sat  upon  Shank,  completely  demoralizing  the  opposition, 
to  Blank's  great  credit  as  a  patriot  and  a  statesman.  That  is 
all  the  people  usually  know  about  the  matter,  or  care  either. 
"As  to  the  papers,"  continued  Ophir,  "  that  is  managed  very 
easily.  The  country  papers  take  their  cue  from  the  great  city 
dailies.  I  think  I  can  ls;eep  things  all  smooth  through'my  in- 
fluence with  the  Daily  Planet.  In  fact,  I  don't  mind  telling 
you  confidentially  that  I  own  a  majority  of  the  stock  of  the 
Planet." 

"Oh,  I  see!  The  Planet  will  puff  the  Continental  and 
Pacific,  and  the  public  will  swallow  the  puff." 

"  That's  about  it,  only  the  articles  relating  to  this  great 
national  highway  will  be  too  solid,  and  well  written  to  be  de- 
scribed by  the  somewhat  objectionable  term  you  have  just  ap- 
plied to  them.  The  staff  of  the  Planet  are  men  of  brains. 
The  argument  which  will  be  relied  on  chiefly,  is  the  obvious 
fact  that  our  road  is  a  great  national  necessit}'."  Mr.  Ophir 
used  the  pronoun  our^  referring  to  this  "  great  national  neces- 
sity," much  as  if  he  had  been  referring  to  his  house  or  his 
children.  He  was  furtively  putting  salt  on  the  tail  of  this 
magnificent  bird,  the  C.  &  P.,  and  hoped  some  time  to  have 
him  securely  in  his  own  private  cage. 

"  Ophir,  who  has  charge  of  your  interests  in  Congress?  " 

"The  Honorable  Dave  Sawder."  (The  Hon.  Dave  was 
member  for  one  of  the  city  districts.)  "He  is  just  the  man. 
We  can  rely  on  him  to  carry  the  measure  through.     He  is 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  37 

very  popular  with  the  people,  chiefly  through  his  scathing  at- 
tacks on  the  minority.  This  alone  will  just  now  insure  his 
influence  with  the  majority.  The  minority  never  fail  to  put 
their  heads  in  the  noose.  All  they  need  to  hang  themselves, 
is  plenty  of  rope.  That,  Sawder  and  two  or  three  others  will 
pay  out  liberally.  But  while  he  lashes  the  opposition  merci- 
lessly in  public  he  is  on  very  good  terms  with  some  of  them 
in  private.     His  motto  is,  '  Votes,  not  men.'  " 

"  I  for  one,  and,  in  fact,  I  think  nearly  everybody  look  on 
this  road  as  a  necessity.  Then,  why  is  so  much  wire  pulling 
necessary  to  get  it  through?" 

"Norwell,  the  difticulty  is  this.  While  all  agree  that  the 
road  is  a  necessity  there  are  differences  of  opinion,  honest  dif- 
ferences, understand,"  he  added,  with  childlike  simplicity, 
"about  the  amount  of  bonds  to  be  granted  and  the  extent  of  the 
land  grant,  the  repayment  of  the  subsidy,  etc.,  etc.  These 
latter  points  are  what  we  must  look  to.  You  see — and  this 
is  strictly  inside  information  in  confidence — we  figure  that  the 
amount  of  bonds  granted  by  the  government,  together  with 
our  own  authorized  bonds,  will  about  build  the  road,  leaving 
us  all  the  stock  of  the  company  and  the  lands  free.  Sawder, 
with  two  or  three  other  reliable  men  in  the  House,  will,  with 
Senator  Sublet  and  others  in  the  Senate,  see  to  the  passage  of 
this  measure,  whereby  the  government  will  be  a  deferred 
creditor,  instead  of  sole-preferred  creditor,  as  arranged  in  the 
original  act.  Now  this  is  the  point  of  most  interest  to  us. 
When  the  amended  act  is  passed,  as  it  certainly  will,  our  fifty 
to  sixty  millions  of  stock  will  jump  well  coward  par  at  once, 
and  as  the  government  builds  the  road  for  us,  we  have  the 
stock  and  some  ten  to  fifteen  million  acres  of  public  lands  for 
nothing.*  Isn't  that  a  pretty  good  thing?"  It  would  have 
been  a  very  unreasonable  man  who  would  have  complained  of 
such  a  thing.  Ophir  added,  "  But  these  are  strictly  inside  facts 
in  confidence,  Norwell." 

It  was  useless  to  reiterate  this  caution;  Norwell  was  him- 
self on  the  inside  now.  After  a  long  life  of  rectitude  and  hon- 
orable business  enterprise,  his  own  weak  spot  was  touched. 
Such  a  weak  spot  exists  in  every  man,  though  some  escape 
probing.  Mr.  Norwell  saw  that  a  scheme  was  afoot  to  make 
a  great  deal  of  money  out  of  the  public.  He  knew  that  such 
schemes  were  nearly  sure  to  go  through  at  that  particular 

♦See  extract  from  Senator  Booth's  speech,  Note  2. 


38  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

time,  when  the  public  attention  was  attracted  toward  the 
great  struggle  of  the  nation  for  existence.  He  realized  that  a 
wrong  was  to  be  done,  but  also  realized  that  any  influence  he 
could  bring  to  bear  would  be  as  futile  as  an  attempt  to  fly  a 
kite  in  a  cyclone.  Why  not  make  some  money  out  of  it?  He 
would  do  it.  With  none  of  Ophir's  reckless  disregard  of 
public  rights,  he  still  had  misgivings. 

*' Ophir,  will  the  public  stand  this  thing?" 

"The  public  are  d — d  fools!" 

"  Granting  that,  will  they  not  some  time  awake  from  their 
lethargy  when  the  facts  are  known?  " 

"  Possibly,  but  that  will  not  be  soon.  Meantime  ten  years 
is  all  we  want  to  get  out  of  the  market.  While  times  are 
good,  and  everybody  making  money,  who  cares  to  inquire 
hoiJO  it  is  made,  so  long  as  he  gets  plenty." 

« I  think  there  will  be  a  day  pf  reckoning." 

"  Not  soon.  This  plan  of  railroad  building  (Ophir  spoke  of 
it  as  if  it  had  been  a  great  benevolent  scheme  instead  of  a  co- 
lossal infamy)  is  in  its  infancy.  I  think  there  will  be  twenty 
years  of  it,  but  ten  or  even  five  will  enable  us  to  get  from, 
under."  Then  Mr.  Ophir  diverted  the  conversation  for  a  mo- 
ment by  telling  a  little  story  by  way  of  illustration. 

"  Norwell,  do  you  remember  Bob  Snodgrass  who  used  to 
go  to  school  in  our  old  home  district?" 

"  Perfectly  well!  His  red  hair  stuck  out  like  a  feather 
duster,  and  looked  like  the  rising  sun  in  a  hazy  December 
morning." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Ophir,  laughing,  "and  you  also  remember 
that  old  teacher  by  the  name  of  Hixon  ?" 

"Yes,  thin  as  a  shingle." 

« And  used  to  wear  two  pairs  of  spectacles  sometime";, 
one  pair  forgotten  on  his  forehead,  and  another  pair  on 
duty." 

"And  a  huge  mouse-colored  neckcloth  which  made  him 
look  as  if  he  had  tried  to  hang  himself  with  the  bedquilt, 
and  had  been  cut  down  before  the  act  was  accomplished." 

"  Yes,  yes.  Well,  you  know  Bob  Snodgrass  used  to 
worry  that  old  man  till  life  was  a  burden  to  him.  He  put  a 
sucking  pig  into  Hixon's  desk ;  he  drew  uncomplimentary 
pictures  of  the  master  on  the  blackboard;  he  shut  a  big  dog 
under  the  floor.  The  dog's  scratching  and  panting  scared  the 
little  folks  nearly  into  fits.     Remember  that?" 

"I  remember  it  alL" 


AN    IRO>J    CROWN.  39 

"Well,  you  know,  Bob  used  to  keep  that  up  all  the  week 
till  Friday  afternoon,  then  he  invariably  staid  out  of  school, 
and  all  the  rest  of  us  got  a  good,  old-feshioned  flogging, 
which  was  Hixon's  way  of  balancing  tlie  week's  score,  run 
up  chiefly  by  Bob.  Now  when  the  people  get  wakened  up 
and  proceed  to  settle  old  scores,  we'll  be  absent.  Don't  you 
see?" 

This  was  so  simple  a  piece  of  logic  that  anybody  could 
see  it.     Norwell's  last  query  was  a  very  pertinent  one. 

"  If  this  is  such  u  good  thing,  why  don't  you  and  Oakes- 
worth  and  Chrysolite  keep  it  all  yourselves?" 

"  There's  so  much  of  it,  we  can't."  This  laconic  reply 
went  so  directly  to  the  point,  which  Mr.  Ophir  could  reach 
most  happily  when  he  chose,  that  Mr.  Norwell,  at  once 
unburdening  his  mind  of  any  special  friendly  interest  on 
Ophir's  part,  or  obligation  on  his  own,  replied: 

"  I'll  take  a  block  of  the  stock.    Say  one  thousand  shares." 

"  Pshaw,  man;  I've  calculated  on  your  taking  ten  thousand 
shai'es." 

"  At  sixty- five  that  is  six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars.       I  could  not  raise  that  easily." 

"  We  do  those  things  differently.  Put  up  z.  margin  of 
five  dollars  per  share,  and  wait  till  Sawder's  bill  passes. 
Then  your  stock  will  go  to  seventy-five  at  once." 

"  Is  that  margin  safe  in  case  of  a  drop?" 

"  It  can't  drop  with  the  government  back  of  it.  Leave 
that  to  Sawder  and  to  Senator  Sublet.  See  the  men  who 
are  in  it.     Look  at  Oakesworth,  Bullion  and  Chrysolite." 

All  these  men  liad,  at  that  time,  a  good  reputation.  Had 
Mr.  Norwell  lived  to  see  the  unenviable  notoriety  some  of 
them  achieved  a  few  years  later,  he  might  have  arrived  at 
the  conclusion  that  the  very  fixct  of  these  men  being  in  any 
enterprise  was  a  cogent  reason  why  other  people  should  stay 
out. 

"I  will  take  ten  thousand  shares.  I'll  bring  my  check 
to-morrow  or  the  day  after." 

Thus  did  these  two  men  close  a  bargain  nominally 
involving  a  million  dollars  with  less  dickering  than  many 
people  would  exercise  in  buying  a  pair  of  shoes  or  selling  a 
calf. 

In  recommending  this  venture  to  his  friend,  Ophir  was 
probably  as  honest  as  he  ever  was  or  could  be  in  any  of  his 
great  transactions.     He  really  thought  that  the  Continental 


40  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

and  Pacific  would  be  as  good  as  he  predicted.  The  game  was 
actually  so  immense  that  he  and  his  grasping  colleagues  were 
obliged  to  call  in  outside  assistance  to  bag  it.  Furthermore, 
the  lobby  in  full  operation  at  Washington,  besides  a  good 
deal  of  Continental  and  Pacific  stock  which  quietly  passed 
into  the  pockets  of  members  without  tangible  equivalent,  was 
consuming  a  mint  of  money  just  then  which  Ophir  and  his 
fellow  conspirators  did  not  care  to  risk  alone.  Mr.  Norwell 
and  a  few  others  had  money.  The  great  Continental  and 
Pacific  wanted  money  now  with  full  assurance  of  a  golden 
harvest  in  the  future.  If  things  went  well  it  would  be  well 
for  all;  if  not,  it  would  not  hurt  Ophir  and  target  practice  is 
a  cheap  amusement  when  other  people  furnish  the  powder. 


CHAPTER   V. 

MR.    ROKEr's    little    SCHEME. 

The  Argosy  Club  is  one  of  the  many  social  institutions 
of  New  York  City.  The  word  club,  like  charity,  covers  a 
multitude  of  purposes.  There  are  literary  clubs,  musical 
clubs,  dancing  clubs,  polo  clubs,  etc.  But  the  club  of  which 
the  Argosy  was  a  type  is  altogether  a  different  affair.  It  is 
a  place  where  a  man  may  go  to  read,  smoke,  lounge,  eat, 
drink,  play,  talk  or  sleep  if  he  chooses.  All  these  things  are 
expensive  in  a  great  city,  and  the  member  of  a  popular  club 
to  be  happy  must  have  plenty  of  money.  In  consequence 
he  is  a  man  of  some  importance.  Personally  he  may  consist 
of  a  row  of  ciphers,  but  his  bank  and  his  club  are  the  sig- 
nificant fiofures  that  make  greatness  out  of  littleness.  A  club 
is  a  place  where  many  men  spend  selfishly  that  time  which 
they  should  devote  to  their  wives  and  children  in  cultivating 
the  homely  domestic  virtues  so  often  neglected  by  fashionable 
society.  The  members  of  the  Argosy  Club  were  the  cream 
of  the  moneyed  aristocrac}' of  Manhattan  Island.  A  million- 
aire was  the  smallest  possible  fish  allowed  to  sport  in  that 
Pactolian  pool,  excepting  a  favored  few  who  were  intimately 
connected  with  millionaires.     On  these  a  saving   grace  had 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  4 1 

been   bestowed  by  proxy,  just  as    a  little  man  slips  readily 
through  a  crowd  following  in  the  wake  of  a  big  burly  man. 

We  will  take  a  look  at  a  few  of  the  members,  some  of 
whom  will  play  important  parts  in  this  history.  Mr.  Ingle- 
dee's  name  was  on  the  club  roll,  also  that  of  Mr.  Bullion,  Mr. 
Chrysolite,  Mr.  Crassus  and  others  with  whom  we  have 
nothing  to  do.  Mr.  Ophir  was  not  a  member.  That  great 
and  good  man  had  a  large  family,  and,  contrary  to  Mr.  Ingle- 
dee's  custom,  delighted  to  enjoy  their  society  and  indulge  in 
domestic  endearments.  A  prominent  member  was  Mr.  Ama- 
ziah  Snicker,  a  red-faced  fat  man  who,  to  use  his  own  thread- 
bare simile,  had  once  "scooped  a  million  out  of  sugar."  He 
delighted  to  tell  how  this  remarkable  feat  had  been  accom- 
plished, the  narrative  indicating  by  the  complacent  self-con- 
ceit which  lurked  in  every  word,  tone  and  gesture,  that  no 
other  man  could  possibly  have  carried  so  great  a  transaction 
to  a  successful  issue. 

His  son,  Frederick  Snicker,  was  a  dude, — that  fantastic 
object  of  pity  which  springs  up  on  the  acme  of  the  wave  of 
civilization  just  before  it  begins  to  sink  into  semi-barbarism. 
This  creature  has  flourished  in  all  highly-civilized  countries, 
and  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  may  now  gaze  upon  him 
as  he  takes  root,  in  the  democratic  soil  of  America.  This 
latest  flower  of  civilization,  heretofore  an  exotic,  we  may  now 
safely  call  our  own.  He  is  essentially  the  gift  of  Europe,  the 
region  whence  we  obtain  the  English  sparrow,  the  Norway 
rat,  numerous  bugs  of  various  degrees  of  disagreeableness, 
and  a  host  of  hungry  adventurers  of  all  sorts.  We  may  now 
breathe  freer  in  our  mad  race  of  progress.  We  have  entered 
into  competition  with  the  effete  old  world  in  another  branch 
of  industry,  and  have  as  usual  carried  off  the  palm,  for  our 
dude  is  the  prince  of  all  dudes.  He  is  a  combination  of  idiotic 
conceits,  tight  pants  and  patchouly.  He  will  have  a  whole- 
some example  on  the  manhood  of  America  by  showing  what 
a  contemptible  thing  an  unsexed  man  is.  Let  no  impious 
tongue,  forgetting  scriptural  injunctions,  say  that  this  remark- 
able creature  was  made  in  vain. 

On  the  evening  to  which  the  present  events  may  be  traced, 
Frederick  Snicker  with  a  companion  lounged  into  the  smok- 
ing room  of  the  Argosy  Cluli.  He  had  the  air  of  a  man 
who  believes,  or  affects  to  believe,  all  things  trivial  and 
unworthy  of  attention,  and  life  a  great  bore,  to  be  endured 
much  as  a  faithful,  patient  wife  endures  a  lazy,  selflsh  lout  of 


42 


A.V    IRON    CROWN. 


a  husband,  simply   because   it  is  inconvenient  to   get   rid  of 
him. 

Young  Snicker  had  a  soft,  creamy  complexion,  and  a 
pretty  little  pet  of  a  waxed  mustache,  which  held  about  the 
same  proportions  to  a  real  mustache  that  the  diminutive  ground 
pine  does  to  the  majestic,  real  pine.  This  microscopic  hir- 
sute appendage  added  little  to  the  commanding  expression 
commonly  supposed  to  be  inherent  in  the  human  countenance 
as  distinguished  from  all  other  animated  nature.  I  refer  par- 
ticularly to  that  phase  of  it  which  is  reputed  to  be  able  to  quell 
the  lion's  rising  ire.  This  expression  was  further  depreciated 
bv  the  effect  of  an  insignificant  little  snub  nose  and  a  chin 
which  modestly  retreated  into  the  recesses  of  liis  not  very 
ample  lower  jaw.  The  ambitious  jaw,  in  attempting  to 
swallow  the  unpretentious  chin,  had  overdone  itself,  and  the 
failure  caused  irreparable  damage  to  both. 

Snicker's  waist,  so  unlike  the  paternal  waist,  was  care- 
fully kept  in  proper  bounds  by  stays.  His  lower  limbs, — he 
would  have  been  painfully  shocked  had  they  been  referred  to 
as  legs, — were  encased  in  very  tight,  striped  pantaloons  of 
delicate  hues.  Nature  had  not  been  very  lavish  with  respect 
to  Snicker's  lower  extremities,  and  the  tailor  had  been  still 
more  parsimonious.  As  a  consequence,  the  spectator  was  in 
constant  apprehension  lest  these  very  inadequate  supports 
should  suddenly  give  way  and  bring  disaster  to  their  owner. 
They  were  assisted,  however,  in  a  slight  degree,  by  a  tiny  little 
flexible  cane  about  large  enough  for  a  penholder,  which  was 
surmounted  by  a  dog's  head  carved  in  ivory.  He  twirled 
this  cane  so  incessantly  that  the  poor  puppy  in  ivory  must 
have  been  in  a  chronic  condition  of  dizziness  and  indignation, 
if  capable  of  reasoning,  at  this  particular  species  of  activity  in 
his  biped  associate.  An  eyeglass,  when  not  in  use  to  obscure 
vision,  dangled  on  his  waistcoat  suspended  by  a  silken  cord. 
Young  Snicker  dropped  into  an  easy  chair  with  the  air  of  a 
man  who  feels  that  resignation  is  all  that  is  left  him  in  the 
world,  and  endurance  must  soon  reach  its  limit.  He  remarked 
to  his  companion,  with  a  drawling  lisp  which  he  had  by  fre- 
quent private  rehearsals  brought  to  a  state  of  perfection: 

"  Weally,  Roker,  this  is  vewy  unpleasant." 

"What  is  unpleasant?" 

"My  flowist  made  another  howid  mistake.  I  always 
want  a  wose  for  my  buttonhole  on  Tuesday  evening.  He 
sent  me  instead   a  fuschia  and  twimmings,  and    among    the 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  43 

twimmings  was  a  hovvid  fish  gewanium  leaf.  Now  you 
know  I  cawn't  abide  fish  any  way." 

"  Throw  away  the  geranium  leaf." 

"  Weally,  this  howid  hot  weathah  has  so  -unnerved  me 
that  I  do  not  feel  like  tvvying  to  awange  a  bouquet." 

"  Going  to  see  Luseba  to-night,  the  reason  you  are  so 
particular,  Snicker?" 

"  Pon  my  wud  now,  Roker,  that  allusion  is  not  quite 
genewous." 

"  What's  up  now?" 

"  That's  all  ended,"  replied  Snicker,  with  a  sigh  as  deep 
as  his  corset  would  allow. 

"  Another  heart  broken  ?" 

"  Naw!"  This  particle  of  grammar  intended  for  no  was 
spoken  in  a  prolonged  drawling  circumflex,  as  if  paucity  of 
ideas  compelled  him  to  fill  the  intervals  between  them  with 
remarkable  vocalization.  He  added  lazily:  "  Partnehship 
tiissolved  by  mutual  consent.     One  more  experience." 

Poor  little  creature!  He  said  this  as  if  he  were  trying 
to  get  through  with  all  experiences, — that  is,  all  proper  for  a 
gentleman  of  his  cut, — and  graduate  into  the  indifferent  man 
of  the  world  as  soon  as  possible,  with  nothing  more  to  do, 
nothing  more  to  learn,  nothing  more  to  enjoy, — only  to  be 
bored  with  resignation.  Now  Luseba  Aplington  was  a 
young  lady  whose  highly  artificial  accomplishments  were  as 
shallow  as  his  own,  else  he  had  never  discovered  them.  After 
a  brief,  sappy  courtship,  they  plighted  troth.  But  the  course 
of  true  love  will  not  run  smooth  though  flowing  in  a  golden 
channel.  One  evening,  on  the  way  to  the  opera,  Miss  Luseba 
confided  a  valuable  opera-glass  to  the  care  of  her  Adonis. 
He,  not  feeling  equal  to  assuming  such  a  grave  responsibility, 
intrusted  it  to  the  footman,  which  functionary  lost  it.  It  was 
a  birthtlay  present  from  a  dear  friend,  and  the  young  lady 
was  inconsolable.  The  fact  that  Snicker  himself  remained 
hers  failed  to  allay  her  unreasonable  grief.  A  coolness  arose. 
She  returned  his  presents  and  his  heart,  in  exchange  for 
which  organ  she  received  her  own  again,  neither  but  little 
the  worse  for  wear,  because,  like  shoes  that  have  been  worn, 
both  had  already  had  the  squeak  taken  out  of  them  by  con- 
siderable indulgence  in  Cupid's  game  of  foot  ball.  To 
employ  Snicker's  own  resigned  expression,  "it  was  all  over." 
To  jest  with  a  man  who  had  suffered  such  a  poignant  grief 
was  cruel,  and  Roker  dropped  the  subject. 


44 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


Snicker's  companion,  Horace  Roker,  was  in  everything 
his  opposite.  He  was  a  tall,  compactly-huilt,  rather  spare, 
dark-complexioned  man.  He  was  very  straight,  considering 
that  he  had  la-bored  for  years  at  a  desk  in  Ingledee's  office. 
His  thin,  Roman  nose,  prominent  forehead,  lowering  brow, 
and  lips  almost  painfully  compressed,  indicated  inflexibility  of 
purpose,  combined  with  a  dangerous  temper  disposed  to  cru- 
elty. His  restless,  piercing  black  eye  seldom  squarely  met 
the  eye  of  one  with  whom  he  conversed,  unless  at  times 
when,  as  if  conscious  that  the-  world  views  the  conduct  of 
such  an  eye  with  suspicion,  it  was  capable  of  a  steady, 
unflinching  gaze,  the  defiance  of  a  bold,  unscrupulous  spirit. 
He  seldom  showed,  his  symmetrical  white  teeth  through  the 
medium  of  a  smile;  he  was  too  politic  to  do  so  with  the 
snarl  which  was  more  natural  to  him.  He  never  laughed 
heartily,  partly  because  there  was  nothing  generous  in  him, 
chiefly  because  it  was  in  bad  form.  Dignity  was  a  part  of 
his  stock  in  trade.  He  had  one  peculiarity  which  he  seemed 
to  be  unconscious  of,  or  which  he  was  unable  to  control.  By 
contraction  of  the  muscles  of  the  head  he  could  draw  his 
scalp  down  almost  over  his  forehead.  He  did  this  while 
abstracted,  or  when  in  some  way  thrown  suddenly  out  of  his 
usual  train  of  thought.  Sometimes  when  angry  this  peculiar 
distortion  took  place.  Combined  with  a  flashing  eye,  blood- 
less, compressed  lips,  and  a  nose  which  seemed  enduring 
painful  tension,  it  gave  his  expression  something  really 
demoniac. 

Roker  was  a  man  with  whom  people  instinctively  avoid 
jesting.  He  was  an  affable,  polished  gentleman,  who  fulfilled 
with  punctilious  correctness  the  routine  duties  of  society,  and 
who  was  at  all  times  scrupulously  polite.  His  dress  displayed 
none  of  the  absurd  fopperies  of  Snicker's  make  up.  On  his 
immaculate  shirt  front  sparkled  a  diamond  pin,  which  was  the 
sole  article  pertaining  to  his  person  that  was  worn  distinctly 
as  an  ornament. 

From  the  remark  "  one  more  experience  "  it  must  not  be 
inferred  that  Frederick  Snicker  admitted  any  genuine  regrets 
over  his  lost  love,  or  that  the  lady  was  conscious  of  any.  To 
experience  anything  approaching  a  real  human  feeling  or  sen- 
timent would  have  been  in  the  estimation  of  this  sappy  pair 
an  exhibition  of  very  bad  taste.  The  flabby  intellect  which 
animated  their  mushy  brains  was  incapable  of  such  experi- 
ences.    It  might  have  been  overwhelmed  by  some   great  dis- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  45 

aster  just  as  the  thieving  Httle  chipmunk  is  crushed  by  the 
dead  fall.  But  it  could  no  more  realize  that  disaster  or  rise 
above  it  than  could  the  flattened  chipmunk  crawl  from  be- 
neath the  great  cruel  stone. 

As  the  conversation  reached  this  point,  Silas  Ingledee 
sauntered  into  the  room  and  joined  Roker  and  Snicker.  The 
young  man  had  not  lived  so  rapidly  lately.  He  had  not  been 
out  later  than  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  for  a  whole  week, 
and  had  been  getting  an  extra  hour's  sleep  during  the  day. 
He  was  carefully  dressed,  as  usual,  and  in  consequence  of  such 
ascetic  abstinence  from  pleasure,  really  looked  a  handsome 
young  man.  His  fine  face  was  a  great  contrast  to  that  of 
either  Snicker  or  Roker.  Nature  had  done  so  much  for  him 
and  so  little  for  Snicker,  and  yet  both  their  grists  were  prac- 
tically being  ground  in  the  same  hopper,  though  Silas's  fine 
grain  went  through  rapidly,  while  Snicker's  husky  kernels 
danced  on  top  from  sheer  lightness.  Roker  prudently  pre- 
ferred to  feed  the  hopper. 

"  Ah,  how  are  you,  Roker?"  said  Silas. 

"  Very  well,  thank  you.     How  are  you?" 

"Tiptop!  How's  the  ofiice?  Governor  got  any  new 
deals  on  the  string?     Haven't  seen  him  for  some  time." 

"  The  office  runs  as  usual,  and  your  father's  operations  are 
even  heavier  than  usual." 

"  He  wants  to  rope  me  into  that  margin  and  ticker  busi- 
ness. But  I  can  find  more  congenial  amusement  than  watch- 
ing rows  of  figures  on  a  paper  tape,  that  runs  like  clock  work 
and  never  lets  up.  Hello,  Snicker,"  said  he,  as  he  turned  to 
that  young  gentleman,  who,  from  appearances,  was  industri- 
ously trying  to  swallow  the  head  of  his  cane.  "  How  are 
you?" 

"  Well,  I  cawn't  weally  say.  A  twifle  misewable  I  think 
on  the  whole." 

"Not  in  love  again?     Who  is  the  charmer?" 

"That's  abwupt,  Ingledee,"  said  Snicker, with  a  feeble  at- 
tempt at  pretended  offense.  Abvjupt  was  the  strongest  piece 
of  armor,  offensive  and  defensive,  in  his  verbal  arsenal.  He 
often  objected  to  the  manner  of  a  disagreeable  statement  more 
than  to  the  matter.  It  must  not  be  abwupt,  for  to  be  abwupt 
was  not  in  good  form. 

"Pshaw!  now  don't  try  to  deny  it;  you  know  you  are  a 
lady-killer." 

As  the  chief  amusement  of  Fred  Snicker  was   to  fall  in 


46  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

love,  or  attempt  it,  he  admitted  the  soft  impeachment  by  a 
flabby  smile  of  acknowledgement. 

"  If  you'd  indulge  a  trifle  more  excitement  you  wouldn't 
feel  so  miserable.  Don't  you  think  so?  Say  an  elopement,  or  a 
breach  of  promise.   Wouldn't  that  be  about  the  thing,  Roker?" 

Roker  added,  "  Or  punch  some  rival's  head  now  and 
then,"  in  a  tone  which  seemed  to  imply  that  Snicker  was  ca- 
pable of  committing  a  blood-curdling  murder  by  way  of 
amusement.  Snicker  felt  the  compliment  implfed  in  the  ad- 
mission that  he  was  a  man  of  the  world.  But  one  of  the 
chief  resources  among  his  paltry  stock  of  ideas  was  that  of 
objecting  to  imaginary  affronts  which  he  conjured  up  for  the 
sake  of  objection,  well  knowing  no  offense  was  meant.  He 
acted  as  if  he  should  have  been  flattered  had  they  suggested  a 
highway  robbery,  but  as  it  was  only  a  fisticuff"  he  considered 
it  common  and  "  abwupt,"  and  so  expressed  himself. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  consider  that  abwupt.  You  know  there 
are  things  that  may  be  too  abwupt  to  the  feelings  of  a  gen- 
tleman."- This  statement  was  so  obvious  there  was  no  gain- 
saying it.  Silas,  thinking  perhaps  he  had  for  once  really 
probed  a  tender  spot,  hastily  explained : 

"  Beg  pardon.  Snicker.  I  meant  no  offence.  But  really, 
a  little  wholesome  activity  would  set  you  all  right.  Don't  you 
think  so,  Roker?" 

"Undoubtedly." 

"  I  make  no  suggestions,  but  think  it  over." 

Had  he  been  in  the  far  West,  Silas  would  doubtless  have 
suggested  the  exciting  pastime  poetically  known  as  "painting 
the  town  red."  As  this  species  of  advanced  art,  as  applied  to 
the  evolution  of  amusement  is  unknown  in  New  York,  or 
known  by  a  different  name,  Ingledee  could  only  summarize 
by  repeating  "  Think  it  over." 

♦'  I  will,  Ingledee,"  replied  Snicker,  who  was  now  all  good 
humor  and  no  longer  felt  miserable.  He  felt  that  he  was  con- 
sidered a  fast  young  man  by  the  fastest  young  men  in  the  town. 
Altogether  he  was  a  daring,  reckless, possibly  dangerous  young 
blade.  He  suddenly  remembered  that  he  had  an  appointment, 
and  with  an  adieu  which  approached  the  abwupt^  he  ambled 
out,  twirling  his  absurd  little  cane.  His  companions  bowed 
a  pleasant  good  evening  and  then  forgot  Snicker  as  utterly  as 
if  he  had  never  existed. 

After  some  desultory  conversation  Silas  remarked,  with 
his  eyes  fixed  on  Roker's  right  hand: 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


47 


«  By  the  way,  Roker,  I  have  often  noticed  a  faint  line 
across  the  backs  of  your  fingers;  excuse  my  curiosity,  but  is 
that  a  scar? " 

"  There  is  a  rather  vivid  incident  of  my  boyhood  con- 
nected with  that  scar,  Ingledee." 

"  Would  vou  mind  telling  it?     I  am  curious  now." 

"  I  have  no  objections,"  replied  Roker.  Silas  settled  him- 
self In  his  chair  to  listen. 

"  You  know,  Mr.  Silas,  that  my  parents  were  poor. 
Sometimes  it  was  hard  work  and  close  saving  to  make  both 
ends  meet.  Often  we  boys  had  to  stay  out  of  school  for 
months  to  work.  One  term  when  I  was  about  ten  years  old 
I  wanted  to  join  a  class  in  grammar  just  starting  in  our  school, 
and  I  was  determined  to  join  it.  I  was  some  years  younger 
than  most  of  the  members,  but  I  was  determined  to  keep  up 
with  certain  boys  if  I  had  to  study  half  the  night  to  do  it.  If 
I  missed  that  class  I  should  be  thrown  back  possibly  two 
years,  and  might  lose  my  chance  altogether  of  studying  that 
subject  in  school. 

"  I  teased  my  mother  for  the  book,  but  she  refused  to  get  it 
because  she  could  not  afford  the  expense.  But  1  gave  them 
no  peace  at  home;  determined  to  carry  my  point.  Finally 
mother  told  me  that  if  father  and  I,  my  brother  being 
away  from  home,  would  abstain  from  eating  eggs  till  I  saved 
the  fifty  cents  necessary  I  might  buy  the  book.  It  required 
four  dozen,  and  we  had  few  hens;  I  set  about  getting  them. 
I  watched  the  hens  with  the  eye  of  a  hawk,  and  whenever 
one  cackled  I  was  on  hand  to  get  the  egg. 

"  One  day  I  heard  an  old  hen  cackling  loud  up  over  an  oats- 
bin  in  the  little  barn.  I  placed  a  peck  measure  on  top  of  a 
barrel,  climbed  up  and  found  to  my  delight  a  new  nest  with 
several  eggs.  I  put  them  in  my  old  slouch,  wool  hat,  and 
gathered  it  together  like  a  bag.  I  started  to  climb  down 
again,  but  the  bin  \vas  made  by  standing  the  boards  on  end 
instead  of  running  them  cross-wise.  At  the  top  was  a  wedge- 
shaped  crack,  and  as  I  stepped  on  the  peck  measure  it  tilted. 
I  lost  my  footing  and  my  hand  stuck  in  that  crack.  I 
dropped  with  my  whole  weight  on  those  fingers,  and  there 
I  hung.  I  thought  every  second  they  would  pull  off,  but  they 
didn't." 

"A  pretty  fix,  wasn't  it?  Then  you  dropped  the  eggs 
and  yelled  ? " 

"  I  screamed  at  the  top  of  my  voice  for  help,  but   I   held 


48  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

on  to  the  eggs  with  the  left  hand,  though  I  might  have  clung 
to  a  projecting  piece  of  scantling  with  it." 

"  How  did  you  get  down?  " 

"  I  hung  there,  it  may  have  been  three  minutes,  though  I 
thought  it  an  hour,  till  a  neighbor,  working  in  his  garden 
across  the  alley,  heard  my  screams  for  help  and  took  me 
down." 

"  And  the  eggs  ? " 

"As  soon  as  I  saw  they  were  safe,  I  fainted  with  the  pain. 
That  is  all  there  is  to  that  scar." 

"  I  hardly  think  I  could  do  that  to  save  a  few  cents." 

"  Perhaps  not.     It  is  not  necessary  for  you  to  do  it." 

*'  Say,  Roker,  isn't  the  Governor  a  little  bit  queer  lately?" 

Roker,  as  Mr.  Ingledee's  private  secretary,  having  risen 
little  by  little  to  the  position  of  confidential  adviser,  had  much 
better  opportunities  than  the  son  for  learning  the  state  of  his 
employer's  mind  on  subjects  usually  more  or  less  confidential. 
He  could  have  guessed,  with  tolerable  assurance,  whether  the 
Governor  was  "queer"  or  not.  But  Roker  was  not  given  to 
guessing  in  cases  like  the  present. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Mr.  Silas?  "  He  knew  joerfectly  well 
what  Mr.  Silas -meant.  He  was  an  open  well  when  it  rained, 
but  only  a  dry  one,  when  others  wanted  water.  His  rule  of 
life  might  be  summed  up  briefly:  Learn  all  you  can  of  other 
people's  plans;  disclose  none  of  your  own. 

"  He  wants  me  to  enter  the  oflice." 

"  Oh,  he  mentioned  that  to  me.  I  see  nothing  queer  in 
that." 

"  What  did  you  tell  him?" 

"  I  told  him  you  were  young,  and  there  was  plenty  of 
time  yet." 

"  Thank  you  for  that,  Roker.  I  really  can't  give  up  life 
yet."  The  young  man  spoke  in  an  earnest  almost  anxious 
manner  as  if  he  felt  that  giving  up  idle  dissipation  and  going 
to  work  were  equivalent  to  quitting  life  altogether. 

"  No  thanks  are  necessary.  I  spoke  from  honest  convic- 
tion." 

"  Did  father  speak  of  anything  further  than  the  ofiice?  " 

"  I  hardly  understand  you."  As  Mr.  Ingledee  had  not 
spoken  further,  Roker  hoped  to  learn  from  the  son  what  the 
father  did  not  choose  to  disclose. 

"  In  fiict,  he  thinks  I'm  going  a  little  too  fast." 

"  Young  men  are  expected  to  see  life." 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


49 


"  But  father  declines  to  look  at  it  that  way.  Would  you 
mind  tonins^  the  thing-  down  a  little  to  him  if  he  speaks  to 
you  about  it?     He  would  sit  on  me  if  he  knew  half." 

"  I  shall  be  happy  to  do  anything  in  that  direction  that  I 
can,  but  then,"  he  added  deprecatingly,  "you  know  I'm  only 
an  employe  and  a  stranger." 

"  Father  has  every  confidence  in  you.  What  you  say  will 
go  a  long  way  with   him." 

"  Ah,  indeed!    All  right,  Mr.  Silas,  you  may  rely  on  me." 

"  Thank  you.     Now  will  you  go  and  lake  some  wine?  " 

"  No,  thanks.      Vou  know  I  seldom  indulge." 

*'  What  do  you  say  to  a  glass  of  absinthe?  It  is  a  very 
nice  drink,  Roker." 

"  Thank  you;  its  effects  are  rather  lasting  for  office  work. 
You  have  plenty  of  time  for  such  things." 

"  Really,  Roker,  what  sort  of  a  man  are  you?  You  never 
seem  to  care  for  anything." 

"  Oh,  I  have  my  quiet  tastes." 

"  Silas  suddenly  rose  to  take  his  departure.     "  I   am  ex- 
pected at  Chrysolite's  ball,"  he  remarked,  "  and  must  be   go- 
ing." 
^  «  Good-bye." 

«  Good-bye." 

'<  Poor  fool !"  mused  Roker,  as  his  companion  disappeared. 
"Absinthe,  wine,  dancing,  loss  of  sleep,  carousals.  A  few  years 
will  end  him."  Pulling  a  choice  Havana  from  his  cigar-case, 
he  proceeded  to  indulge  one  of  his  "  quiet  tastes." 

Members  of  the  club  came  and  went;  still  Horace  Roker 
smoketl  on.  No  one  disturbed  him,  for  he  was  in  a  reverie, 
and  his  friends  knew  at  such  times  it  was  very  unprofitable 
work  trying  to  engage  him  in  conversation.  In  reply  to  greet- 
ings, he  nodded  mechanically  and  still  pufTed  airy  clouds  of 
smoke  that  were  as  light  as  his  own  visions.  In  these  float- 
ing clouds  he  constructed  magnificent  castles.  He  saw  a 
j^rincely  residence,  and  a  handsome  dark-eyed  woman  pre- 
siding over  it.  He  sailed  the  fastest  yacht  on  the  seas;  he 
drove  the  fastest  team  on  the  island.  He  entertained  in  regal 
style  persons  whose  incomes  exceeded  those  of  princes.  He 
bought  railroads,  as  he  would  have  bought  pine-apples  for 
his  table. 

He  smoked  on  while  people  came  and  went  till  the  stream 
gradually  subsided,  and  then  ceased.  His  vision  had  taken 
more  definite  shape  than  ever  before.    It  was  so  pleasing  that 

4 


50 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


he  indulged  it  longer  than  usual,  as  we  often  indulge  some 
favorite  pleasure  on  certain  occasions  to  make  amends  for  past 
denial. 

After  midnight  Mr.  Roker  aroused  himself  and  started 
home.  He  trod  with  a  light  step.  The  absorbing  hope  of 
his  life  which  he  had  heretofore  restrained  with  tight  rein,  lest 
it  carry  him  away  into  the  regions  of  a  mere  dreamer,  now 
bid  fair  to  be  realized. 


CHAPTER     VI. 

« 

THE    HONORABLE    DAVE    SAWDER. 

Among  the  friends  to  whom  Tom  Norwell  wished  to  in- 
troduce Arthur  was  Austin  Hickley,  a  young  lawyer  rapidly 
rising  into  note.  Tom  and  Hickley  were  intimate  friends, 
though  the  latter  was  the  senior  of  the  former  by  several 
years.  Hickley  had  come  to  New  York  a  poor  young  man 
from  a  country  town.  He  was  thoroughly  well  read  in  law, 
and  by  means  of  family  influence  succeeded  in  entering  the 
offices  of  a  well-known  law  firm,  though  in  a  very  humble 
capacity.  His  work  at  first  was  wholly  clerical,  and  not  very 
remunerative.  Step  by  step  he  advanced,  however,  until  he 
was  admitted  to  a  partnership.  One  of  the  senior  partners 
died  some  years  later,  and  the  other  resigned  practice  to  ac- 
cept a  position  on  the  bench.  Thus  Hickley  at  the  age  of 
thirty-five  found  himself  in  exclusive  possession  of  a  good 
business,  and  wielding  no  inconsiderable  local  influence. 

One  afternoon  Arthur  Wilson,  Tom  Norwell  and  Hickley 
sat  conversing  in  the  private  office  of  the  latter.  It  was  late 
in  the  day,  which  was  a  very  dark,  disagreeable  one,  and  no 
clients  were  liable  to  interrupt  them.  Wilson  gradually 
turned  the  conversation  toward  the  one  subject  of  most  inter- 
est to  himself — his  finding  something  to  do.  Mr.  Norwell 
had  vainly  inquired  among  his  former  business  acquaintances 
with  a  view  to  securing  a  situation  for  the  son  of  his  old 
friend.  Good  situations  do  not  go  begging  amid  the  fierce 
competition  of  a  great  city,  where  there  are  usually  fifty  men 
seeking  each  really  desirable  position.  In  one  place  he  could 
have  obtained  a  situation  at  a  fair  salary  had  he  been   an  ex- 


AN    IRON    CROWN  5I 

perienced  salesman,  in  another  a  book-keeper  was  wanted, 
but  experience  was  required,  and  so  on  through  the  Hst.  He 
could  find  plenty  of  places  where  the  opportunity  of  handling 
heavy  boxes  was  extended  at  the  rate  of  six  dollars,  or  there- 
abouts, per  week.  He  began  to  realize  that  distance  did  leally 
lend  enchantment  to  cities.  The  fact  was,  that  while  possess 
ing  a  good  education  in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  term, 
he  knew  how  to  do  no  one  thing  well.  If  he  began  here  at 
all  he  must  begin  at  the  very  bottom,  which  will  do  for  a 
boy  but  not  for  a  man. 

Arthur  Wilson  was  not  easily  discouraged,  neither  did  he 
have  the  over  confident  hope  born  of  inexperience  and  igno- 
rance. He  felt  that  something  must  soon  be  done,  and  his 
chances  were  poor.  His  board  and  lodging  were  provided 
for  so  long  as  he  chose  to  remain  with  the  Norwells.  He 
had  calculated  that  these  were  the  chief,  indeed,  almost  the 
entire  expenses  incident  to  city  life.  He  learned  there  were  a 
thousand  and  one  ways  of  spending  money  which  he  had 
never  suspected.  Tom  was  generous  and  could  afford  it. 
Arthur  was  generous  and  could  not  afford  it.  He  insisted  on 
paying  at  least  part  of  the  time,  hence  their  seeing  the  town, 
though  they  did  nothing  extravagant,  had  cost  considerable 
money,  and  Arthur's  slender  stock  was  melting  with  a 
rapidity  which  gave  him  no  little  secret  anxiety. 

"  I  trust  we  may  be  able  to  do  something  for  you,"  said 
Hickley. 

"  Your  tone  is  not  one  of  confidence,"  replied  Arthur. 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  I  am  not  confident.  Everything  here 
is  full  to  overflowing." 

"  Yet  you  came  here  a  poor  boy  and  did  well,"  interjected 
Tom.  "  Father  came  here  a  poor  boy  and  did  well.  Have 
not  hundreds  of  others  done  the  same  thing?" 

"  Yes,  thousands,  for  that  matter,  but  look  at  the  thousands 
who  are  still  struggling  with  abject,  hopeless  poverty,  sinking 
instead  of  rising.  Sinking,  because  the  best  days  of  their  life 
are  passing,  and  the  day  is  coming  when  they  can  no  longer 
earn  the  pittance  they  now  get." 

"  Perhaps  they  do  not  save,"  suggested  Wilson. 

"  Some  do  not,  some  can  not.  Boys,  I'll  tell  you  a  little 
of  my  own  experience  in  saving.  Near  the  end  of  my  first 
year  in  New  York,  when  I  felt  that  a  new  suit  of  clothes  was 
a  grim  necessity  in  the  near  future,  this  was  my  bill  of  fare  for 
several  months:  A  cup  of  coffee  and  a  roll  at  a  cheap  little  cof- 


53  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

fee-house,  for  Lreakfast,  ten  cents;  a  bowl  of  soup  foi"  dinner, 
ten  cents;  three  oatmeal  crackers  and  a  handful  of  raisins  in 
my  own  little  room  for  supper,  five  cents;  total,  twenty-five 
cents  per  day."  The  two  listeners  stared  at  Hickley  in  silent 
amazement.     • 

"  Here  a  man  must  underg'o  a  long  and  arduous  course  of 
hard,  unremitting  labor  and  pinching  economy  to  arrive  at  a 
competence.  When  he  has  reached  that  enviable  condition 
he  suddenly  realizes  that  a  mere  competence,  as  a  rule,  en- 
titles its  possessor  lo  very  little  social  consideration  in  a  great 
city.  Rather  than  such  a  state  of  affairs  I  should  prefer  to 
stay  in  the  country.  I'd  eat  boiled  beef  and  cabbage,  and  be 
a  person  of  some  importance  in  the  community." 

"  Hard-  work  and  economy,"  replied  Wilson,  "  have  done 
well  ill  your  case.  I  would  willingly  do  the  same  to  accom- 
plish the  same  results." 

"  They  did  not  do  all.  I  know  men  who  have  worked 
harder  and  liave  nothing.  A  man  may  dig  a  ditch  to  the  foot 
of  fame's  ladder,  but  he  can  not  dig  ditches  and  mount.  Death 
removed  one  of  my  partners  very  opportunely  for  me.  Po- 
litical pi'eferment  removed  the  other.  Such  accidents  seldom 
happen." 

"  Hang  it,  Hickley,  what  are  you  talking  about.''  You 
wouldn't  live  on  a  farm  and  toil  fifteen  hours  a  day,  sleep 
seven,  eat  one,  read  none,  sing  none,  and  visit  twice  a  year  on 
Sundays.  Compared  with  such  an  existence  the  life  of  an 
oyster  is  really  exciting." 

"  I  admit  there  are  numerous  social  and  intellectual  ad- 
vantages to  be  found  in  the  city,  but  at  least  a  moderate  amount 
of  money  is  required  to  obtain  access  to  them." 

Tom  laughed  heartily.  "Confound  it,  stop  your  croak- 
ing, Hickley.  You'd  give  a  mummy  the  blues.  I'll  never 
bring  a  friend  here  again  for  consolation.  I  might  have 
known  better  than  to  go  to  a  law  shop  for  that  article,  where 
no  fee  pertained  to  the  case.  We'll  get  Wilson  a  fat  job 
yet." 

It  was  a  trait  of  Tom  Norwell's  never  to  turn  any  one 
away  with  a  bad  story.  He  always  chose  the  bright  side  of 
everything  instinctively.  Perhaps  this  was  because  he  had 
never  seen  any  dark  side,  and  had  doubts  of  its  existence. 
From  the  confidence  expressed  in  Tom's  tone,  the  "fat  job" 
might  have  been  already  under  lock  and  key  and  the  key  in  his 
pocket.    Hickley  was  silent.    There  was  no  resisting  the  spon- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  53 

taniety  of  Noi  well's  nature,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  prudence 
plainly  said  he  was  too  sanguine.  They  were  interrupted  by  a 
knock  at  the  door,  on  opening  which,  the  office  boy  showed  in 
the  Honorable  David  Sawder. 

The  Honorable  David  Sawder,  finiiliarly  known  simply 
as  Dave  Sawder,  desired  a  pri\ate  interview.  He  and  Hick- 
ley  at  once  retired  to  another  room  and  carefully  closed  the 
connecting  doors.  What  transpired  there  is  of  great  impor- 
tance, and  the  author  must  claim  an  author's  privilege  of  un- 
derstanding it  all.  The  Honorable  David  Sawder  was  a  pol- 
itician of  national  reputation.  He  l>ad  for  many  yeai's  rep- 
resented a  New  York  district  in  Congress.  He  was  a  large, 
plethoric,  well-fed  man,  nearly  six  feet  in  height.  He  had  a 
blonde  complexion  and  a  heavy  blonde  mustache.  His  sen- 
sual mouth  and  coarse,  meaty  nose  marred  a  face  otherwise 
well  proportioned,  and  indicating,  as  the  accompaniment  of  an 
unusually  well-developed  head,  the  possession  of  no  common 
powers,  both  physical  and  mental.  His  restless  gray  eye  was 
as  quick  as  the  eye  of  an  eagle,  and  read  men  at  a  glance.  He 
had  a  large  muscular  hand  and  enormous  feet,  which  he  moved 
in  walking,  when  not  conscious  of  observation,  with  a  pecu- 
liar pulling  motion  indescribably  comical. 

On  public  occasions,  when  conscious  of  that  organ  known 
as  the  public  eye,  to  which  unusual  powers  of  vision  are  at- 
tributed with  perhaps  very  small  reason.  Sawder's  movements 
were  more  dignified  and  always  incisive.  His  efforts  to  ap- 
pear graceful  were,  however,  in  a  measure  futile,  for  his  bear- 
ing and  gestures  indicated  power  rather  than  grace  or  beauty. 
He  had  that  hearty,  cordial  manner  which  is  so  necessary  a 
part  of  the  politician's  stock  in  trade.  It  made  him  very  pop- 
ular with  the  masses,  combined  as  it  was  with  the  faculty 
equally  necessary  to  his  craft,  of  knowing  at  sight,  which  will 
prove  the  popular  side  of  a  question.  He  nurtured  another 
acrobatic  feat  in  a  high  degree  of  perfection,  whicli  was 
known  as  "flopping,"  if  inadvertently  he  dropped  on  the 
wrong  side.  However,  he  nearl}'^  always  found  himself  on 
the  popular  side  at  first.  This  power  of  discernment  in  him 
amounted  almost  to  intuition. 

Back  of  all  his  easy,  matter-of-fact  cordiality,  which  was 
made  the  most  of,  the  keen  student  of  human  nature  might 
have  observed  in  the  Honorable  Dave  something  that  was  to 
be  distrusted,  or  which,  at  least,  would  bear  watching.  The 
keen  eye  was  a  trifle  too  restless.     It  lacked  the  appearance  of 


54  AN  iRoN  ciloWN. 

honest,  kindly  candor  which  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  ema- 
nations of  tliat  most  expressive  organ.  His  mouth  had  an 
animal,  selfish  appearance.  It  had  so  long  fed  on  the  public 
plums  that  it  seemed  to  have  acquired  a  chronic  condition  of 
watering  for  Ihem.  This  impression  was  confirmed  by  an  oc- 
casional movement  of  the  watery-looking  lips  which  very 
much  resembled  that  vulgarly  known  as  "licking  the  chops." 
The  real  cause  of  this  jDeculiarity  was  a  slight  disease  of  the 
salivary  glands  induced  by  the  habit  of  full  feeding.  He  was 
well  dressed  in  plain  blat:k,  and  wore  on  one  of  the  fingers  of 
his  left  hand  a  massive  plain  gold  ring.  He  wore  a  heavy 
gold  watch  and  chain.  From  the  latter  dangled  a  large  charm 
with  a  seal. 

The  Honorable  Dave  began  abruptly: 
"  What  is  the  outlook  in  your  ward,  Hickley  ?  " 
"  Good,  I  think.     There  is  little  doubt  of  our  carrying  it 
for  the  whole  ticket  by  a  handsome  majority." 
"  What  have  you  done?" 

"Held  several  meetings  and  distributed  a  cord  of  docu- 
ments more  or  less.  We  have  organized  the  young  men  into 
a  marching  club,  provided  with  uniforms  and  torches.  They 
parade  twice  a  week." 

"  All  well  enough  in  its  way,  but  what  practical  work  has 
been  done  ?" 

"  Don't  you  call  that  practical  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  but  there  is  something  more  necessary.  You 
must  see  every  doubtful  voter  and  bring  unanswerable  argu- 
ments to  bear  on  him." 

«  What  if  he  persists  in  bolting  after  you  have  seen  him?" 
"  Then  he  must  be  seen  again  by  a  reliable  man." 
"Mr.  Sawder,  the  duties  of  my  profession  are  very  exacting." 
"  You  are  chairman  of  the  district  executive  committee, 
and  it  is  expected  of  you  to  see  this  work  done.  I  do  not 
mean  that  you  shall  make  a  personal  canvass." 

"  I  see  little  use  in  argument.  Seeing  a  man  once  is  as 
good  as  seeing  him  twice  to  my  notion.  Besides,  I  am  not 
running  for  office." 

"7  am^  Hickley,  which  amounts  to  the  same  thing.  But 
you  needn't  waste  time  with  men  who  are  always  doubtful. 
See  them  finally  on  election  day.  They  have  an  eye  to  the 
convincing  argument," 

"  I  hardly  understand  your  reference  to  the  convincing  ar- 
gument, Sawder." 


ANT    IRON    CROWN.  55 

The  Honorable  Dave  stared  at  Hickley  for  a  moment  with 
incredulous  wonder.  "  Is  it  possible  that  you  have  dab- 
bled in  politics  for  years,  and  particularly  in  New  York  pol- 
itics, and  do  not  understand  what  is  meant  by  seeitig  a  man. 
You  are  a  rising-  lawyer,  too!  Oh,  I  know  better  than  tliat." 
And  he  laughed  as  if  it  were  really  a  good  joke. 

"Know  better  than  what?"  asked  Hickley,  with  a  trifle 
of  warmth.  Then  the  truth  began  to  dawn  on  him.  "If 
you  mean  that  we  must  stoop  to  buyitig  votes  I  must  inform 
3'ou  that  I  value  my  reputation  too  highly  to  descend  to  such 
depths  of  degradation." 

"  Now,  don't  be  hasty,  Hickley.  Look  at  the  matter  in  a 
sensible  light.  I  don't  ask  3'ou  to  peddle  greenbacks  person- 
ally. Find  the  men  to  do  it.  You  have  received  many  favors 
from  our  party  indirectly." 

"  And  have  done  a  great  deal  for  the  party.  But  I  do  not 
care  to  become  a  professional  politician.  I  have  no  ambition 
at  all  in  that  direction."  He  said  this  with  covert  sarcasm, 
which  intimated  that  the  professional  politician  was,  to  use  a 
favorite  rustic  simile,  rather  small  potatoes.  The  Honorable 
Dave  Sawder  discerned  Hickley's  attitude  at  a  glance.  But 
he  was  too  politic  to  show  anger.  He  reserved  all  his  right- 
eous indignation  for  the  other  side  of  the  House  in  Congress. 
There  his  patriotism  was  forever  on  tap  and  effervesced  in  a 
perennial  stream  of  brilliant,  though  at  times  somewhat  windy 
oratory.  He  replied:  "  Hickley,  you  are  a  young  man  yet." 
As  Hickley  had  reached  the  years  when  youth  is  gone 
forever,  and  the  time  was  rapidly  approaching  when  he  could 
no  longer,  except  by  gross  and  palpable  flattery,  be  called  a 
young  man,  he  silently  acquiesced  in  the  sentiment.  He  had 
reached  the  beginning  of  that  debatable  period,  when  one  is 
not  claimed  very  heartily  by  the  young  folks,  rmd  is  unwill- 
ing to  surrender  gracefully  and  take  a  position  with  the  sober, 
middle-aged  contingent  of  society.  Hickley  was  willing  to  be 
a  young  man  if  it  didn't  cost  too  much,  and  Sawder  knew  it. 
At  fifteen  he  would  perhaps  have  been  a  young  7nan  at  any 
cost.  Everything,  however,  with  which  the  Hon.  Dave 
Sawder  was  connected,  was  pretty  sure  to  cost  sotnebody 
something  in  the  end.  He  continued:  "Hickley,  at  your 
time  of  life  many  a  man  has  ruined  his  prospects  by  enter- 
taining fastidious  notions.  You  can't  afford  it.  Mr.  Ophir 
has  put  a  great  deal  of  railroad  business  into  the  hands  of 
your  firm,  and  is  doing  the  same  for  you.      He  put   your  sur- 


56  AN    IRON"    CROWN. 

viving  partner  on  the  bench,  and  left  you  at  the  head  of  a  fine 
business." 

This  was  a  very  frank  admission  on  the  part  of  Sawder, 
and  one  that  he  would  not  have  made  publicly.  It  is  a  com- 
parative innovation  for  railroads  to  make  judges  of  the  higher 
courts.  Their  making  United  States  Senators  has  ceased  to 
attract  attention,  if  it  ever  did.  As  to  making  Congressmen 
and  members  of  State  Legislatures,  that  is  not  worth  the 
trouble.  They  can  be  bought  ready-made  much  cheaper,  like 
slop-shop  clothing,  especially  when  they  are  marketed  in 
job  lots.  Hickley  was  silent,  and  the  Honorable  Dave  con- 
tinued: "  Ophir  is  friendly  toward  you,  and  you  know  his 
influence  is  worth  having.  Besides,  you  must  not  forget  past 
favors.  Now  Mr.  Ophir  particularly  desires  that  Barkwell 
and  myself  should  be  re-elected  to  Congress,  so  that  in  case 
the  new  bill  relating  to  the  Continental  and  Pacific  does  not 
get  through  the  coming  session,  there  will  be  experienced 
men  to  take  care  of  it  in  the  future." 

"Whv,  Barkwell  belongs  to  the  other  party." 

*'That  makes  no  difference.  He  is  sound  for  the  C.  &  P. 
R.  R.,  and  his  opponent  isn't.  Ophir's  motto  is,  '  Votes  first, 
party  afterward.'  " 

"  Pm  perfectly  willing  to  work  and  make  speeches,  but  I 
decline   to  handle  any  money." 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right.  Find  men  to  do  it.  This  requires 
fine  work." 

"  So  I  perceive." 

"  There  is  another  feature  of  the  work  that  must  not  be 
neglected.  The  other  partv  are  straining  every  nerve,  and 
intend  to  run  in  a  lot  of  fraudulent  voters.  We  must  head 
them  off  wherever  our  side  is  in  a  good  working  majority." 

"  By  working  similar  tactics?" 

"  Well,  that's  about  it.  The  only  weapon  to  fight  the 
devil  with  is  fire.  The  other  party  have  been  doing  it  for 
years.  Now  we  will  give  them  a  dose  of  their  own 
medicine." 

"  Mr.  Sawder,  I  decline  to  be  a  party  to  such  methods." 

If  all  politicians  made  and  rigidly  adliered  to  a  similar 
resolution,  there  would  be  inaugurated  a  millennium  of  polit- 
ical purity  which  only  the  most  visionary  theorist  may  hope 
to  see.  The  greatest  political  crime  possible  in  a  republic, — 
worse,  in  fact,  than  open  rebellion, — is  that  of  corrupting  the 
ballot.     Yet  here  was   a    so-called    statesman  who    counte- 


AN    lUON    CROWN.  57 

nanced  it  because  it  was  apparently  the  most  effective  way  of 
combating  a  thoroughly  unscrupulous  opposition.  Here  was 
the  further  spectacle  of  a  lawyer  in  good  standing  whose 
chief  apparent  objection  to  this  great  political  crime  was  the 
vei"y  negative  one  that  he  did  not  wish  to  be  known  as  coun- 
tenancing such  things.  God  forbid  that  this  monster  of  polit- 
ical corruption  should  ever  crawl  from  his  slimy  den  in  our 
great  cities  to  fasten  on  the  honest  rural  districts.  When  he 
does  so  unrebuked,  the  grandest  experiment  ever  tried,  of 
government  by  the  people  and  for  the  people,  will  be  recorded 
in  the  booic  of  time  as  a  failure.  The  weeping  genius  of 
liberty,  with  heavy  heart  and  eye  that  fondly  dwells  on  his- 
tory's brightest  page,  will  sadly  close  forever  the  record  of 
the  last  republic,  and  man's  greatest  opportunity  is  lost  till 
the  cycles  of  time  shall  change  the  ver}'  face  of  civilization 
itself. 

"  You  are  not  expected  to  take  any  part  in  that  portion  of 
the  work.  It  might  be  well  for  you  to  know  something 
about  it,  so  that  you  will  thoroughly  understand  the  bearings 
of  the  canvass.  Dyke,  Miller  and  Williams  will  be  the  active 
workers."  It  may  be  added  that  the  three  worthies  referred 
to  were  well  known  as  unsavory  pot-house  politicians,  who 
derived  their  chief  support  from  the  tolerably  constant  supply 
of  dirty  political  work, — national,  state,  county  or  municipal. 
One  of  them  was  brother  to  an  alderman,  which  was  in  itself 
a  great  political  capital.  Another  was  cousin  to  a  city  official 
of  high  position,  and  a  third  possessed  in  a  marked  degree 
the  indispensable  faculty  of  enthusing  the  "  boys." 

Hickley  quietly  remarked:  "I've  heard  of  those  gentle- 
men.    I  understand  their  methods  are  very  effective." 

"Very!  We  are  lucky  in  winning  them  to  our  side. 
Some  years  ago  they  were  against  us,  you  know."  The 
Hon.  Dave's  very  narrow  majority  at  the  time  alluded  to 
attested  the  efficacy  of  their  methods. 

"  By  the  way,  let's  go  down  and  see  Ophir.  There  are  some 
matters  of  finance  connected  with  the  campaign  fund  which 
had  better  be  attended  to."  Hickley,  seeing  further  demur 
not  only  useless  but  impolitic,  bade  his  friends  good-day,  and 
started  with  Sawder  to  Ophir's  office.  It  was  late,  and  that 
great  man  was  just  putting  on  his  coat  preparatory  to  going 
home  to  dinner. 

"  How  arc  you.  Sawder?  Glad  to  see  you.  Everything 
going  favorably?" 


58  AN   IftON    CROWN. 

"  Yes,  I  feel  very  confident." 

"How  are  you,  Mr.  Hickley.'*  I've  not  had  the  pleasure, 
of  seeing  you  lately." 

"  I'm  quite  well,  thank  you.     Hope  you  are  the  same." 

"  We  came  down  to  mention  one  or  two  points  connected 
with  the  canvass." 

"  I'm  at  your  service.     Have  seats,  gentlemen." 

"  I've  been  talking  with  Mr.  Hickley  here,"  continued  the 
Hon.  Dave,  "  and  we  agree  that  the  campaign  must  be  an 
aggressive  one." 

"  Take  them  by  surprise.  That's  the  way  to  do  it," 
replied  Ophir. 

"  I  have  talked  with  Hickley,  and  we  have  about  agreed 
on  what  is  to  be  done."  At  this  juncture  Sawder  managed 
to  catch  Ophir's  eye,  while  the  lawyer  happened  to  look 
toward  the  model  of  the  yacht  above  the  desk, 

"  You  and  Hickley  never  do  anything  by  halves.  I  think 
the  party  can  always  rely  on  you.  You  are  both  on  the  road 
to  preferment  3'ourselves,  you  know,  and  the  speed  you 
make  depends  chiefly  on  your  own  exertions.  You  can't 
afford  to   be  lukewarm." 

«  Certainly  not,"  replied  Hickley. 

That  gentleman  now  felt  decidedly  uncomfortable.  He 
was  a  man  of  intelligence  and  refinement.  Heretofore  he 
had  succeeded  in  preserving  his  honor.  Now  in  the  brief 
space  of  an  hour  a  great  crisis  had  come  upon  him.  He  felt 
that  he  was  completely  in  the  power  of  these  two  men,  even 
though  he  were  a  rising  and  highly  succe,ssful  lawyer.  Thei"e 
was  no  denying  that  he  was  largely  indebted  to  Ophir  for  his 
success.  To  hold  back  now  would  seem  base  ingratitude, — 
furthermore,  it  would  be  ruin.  Somebody  else  would  do 
the  work  and  reap  the  reward  if  he  refused.  The  things 
demanded  were  wrong  and  dishonorable,  but  they  were  an 
evil  of  the  times  not  of  his  making.  If  a  great  free  people 
were  willing  to  have  their  rights  trampled  under  foot,  they 
did  not  deserve  to  be  free.  Besides,  he  conscientiously  believed 
the  party  they  were  fighting  was  much  worse  than  his  own. 
He  would  do  the  work.  If  it  soiled  his  hands  a  little,  he 
would  profit  by  it  sufticiently  to  be  able  to  buy  gloves  for  the 
rest  of  his  life.  Sawder  knew  perfectly  well  that  Hickley 
would  not  dare  to  I'efuse  in  Ophir's  presence  to  do  this 
degrading  work.  He  had  no  object  in  calling  upon  the  rail- 
way magnate  but  to  rivet  more  firmly  the  fetters  on  the  law- 


AM    inON    CROWM.  ^9 

yer^s  conscience.     However,  he  remarked,  as  a  pretense  of 
business: 

"All  these  things  cost  something,  Mr.  Ophir." 

"To  be  sure,  Mr.  Sawder.  I  have  to-day  handed  my 
check  for  fifty  tiiousand  dollars  to  the  executive  committee. 
I'll  duplicate  that  sum,  if  necessary." 

"  We'll  make  it  warm  for  them." 

With  this  remark  the  conference  adjourned.  But  the  Hon. 
Dave  was  not  yet  done  with  Hickley.  While  he  had  him  in 
training  he  might  as  well  pilot  him  to  Sandy  Miller's  saloon, 
in  Jamaica  street,  and  introduce  him  to  that  shining  light  in 
local  politics.  He  felt  sure  of  Hickley,  but  it  was  just  as  well 
to  get  him  so  thoroughly  into  the  work  that  there  could  be  no 
backing  out.  He  steered  Hickley,  as  if  by  chance,  into  the 
street  where  this  famous  resort  was  situated,  and  on  passing 
the  door  suddenly  remembered  that  he  ^vished  to  see  a  man 
inside.  That  man  was  the  celebrated  Sandy  Miller  himself, 
to  whom  Hickley  was  duly  introduced. 

Sandy  Miller  was  a  raw-boned,  heavy  man,  of  powerful 
physique.  He  had  the  jaw  of  a  bulldog,  and  a  short,  turned- 
up  nose,  whose  uncouth  shape  and  proportions  could  only  re- 
mind one  of  a  hippopotamus  in  miniature.  He  had  a  power- 
ful arm,  with  muscles  like  iron.  On  the  latter  useful  member 
his  bread  had  more  than  once  depentled,  in  a  sense  different 
from  the  scriptural  reference  to  sweat  of  the  face.  He  had 
once  been  a  professor  of  the  manly  art  offensive  and  de- 
fensive. On  different  occasions  he  had  put  his  skill  to  very 
practical  account  by  entering  the  ring,  where,  after  knocking 
out  several  representatives  of  high  art  in  this  line,  he  was  him- 
self beautifully  knocked  out  by  another  "  Professor,"  whose 
jaw  was  a  trifle  squarer,  chest  a  little  deeper,  and  fist  a  little 
more  nearly  approaching  the  proportions  of  the  hammer  of 
a  pile  driver.  The  police  had  been  unusuall}'  vigilant  on  this 
last  occasion.  In  consequence,  Sandy  not  only  got  a  good 
diubbing, but  six  months  in  the  Tombs  as  well.  Here  he  ac- 
quired a  taste  for  public  life. 

On  his  release  he  combined  the  business  of  liquor  selling 
with  that  of  practical  politics.  In  the  latter  capacity  he 
"fixed"  primaries,  organized  repeaters,  and  engaged  in  ballot- 
box  stuffing  when  more  specious  methods  fiiiled.  He  made 
money,  built  a  fine  house,  and  once  actually  had  an  eye  on 
good  society.  But  he  found  the  proprieties  which  hedge 
the  social   shrine   much    more  difficult  to  be  thrust  aside  than 


6o  AN  IKON  cnoWK. 

the  defences  of  the  ballot  box.  On  the  present  occasion 
Sandy's  very  red  hair  was  carefully  combed  and  pasted  until 
it  was  as  smooth  as  the  nose  of  a  fish.  His  glowing,  beefy 
face  shone  like  the  setting  sun  of  Indian  summer.  A  large  dia- 
mond sparkled  on  his  shiit  front.  He  was  happy,  for  an 
election  was  at  hand,  which  meant  a  thriving  business  in  the 
sale  of  drink,  to  say  nothing  of  the  more  practical  part  of  the 
canvass. 

Hickley  was  introduced,  and  the  trio  adjourned  to  a  back 
room,  the  Hon.  Dave  briefly  remarking  something  to  a  bar- 
tender as  they  passed.  This  remark  apparently  resulted  in 
hot  whisky  punches,  for  these  popular  beverages  appeared  on 
the  table  in  a  very  brief  space  of  time.  Talking  politics  be- 
came a  comparatively  cheerful  occupation  under  the  stimulat- 
ing influences  of  the  last  named  auxiliaries.  Sawder  re- 
marked : 

"Hickley  is  chairman  of  your  ward  committee,  as  you 
know,  Mr.  Miller." 

Sandy  made  a  cordial  but  very  angular  bow  in  acknowl- 
edgement of  Hickley's  acquaintance  and  position,  saying  he 
was  "  happy  to  know  Mr.  Hickley."  Hickley  murmured 
something  in  reply  about  having  frequently  heard  of  Mr. 
Miller.  The  latter  end  of  his  remark  was  rather  indistinct, 
but  Miller  charitably  construed  it  to  mean  something  like 
"  The  pleasure  is  mutual,  sir,"  and  bowed  again. 

Hickley  was  anything  but  happy.  He  felt  that  he  had 
been  duped,  and  forced  into  a  disreputable  situation.  He  dis- 
liked these  men  and  loathed  their  methods.  He  had  no  par- 
ticular objection  to  an  occasional  social  glass,  but  here  he  sat 
in  a  dram-shop,  engaged  in  what  looked  very  like  guzzling 
liquor  for  the  love  of  it.  Sawder  was  celebrated  for  his 
ability  to  coax,  wheedle,  or  whip  kickers  into  the  party 
traces.  Hickley's  secret  indignation  was  at  white  heat. 
He  imagined  that  Sawder  was  gloating  quietly  over  his  vic- 
tory, whereas  the  latter  really  indulged  no  such  sentiment 
toward  him.  Hickley  felt  very  much  like  the  man  who  is 
persuaded  at  the  point  of  a  shot  gun.  There  is  this  advantage, 
however,  in  favor  of  the  man  who  is  compelled  against  his 
will  by  threats  of  personal  violence.  Wlien  the  danger  is 
removed  he  may  then  conscientiously  forswear  his  promises. 
The  hen  compelled  to  set,  will  sit  standing.  But  Hickley  had 
no  such  refuge.  The  influences  which  threatened  now  to 
take  away  his  business  and  blight  his  prospects  would  exist  as 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  6l 

a  clog  to  his  freedom  in  the  future.  Quick  as  a  flash  he  real- 
ized all  this,  and  felt  that  sulking  was  the  worst  possible 
course.  He  would  assume  the  good  humor  his  companions 
felt.  Sandy's  tongue  was  loosened  a  little  under  the  in- 
fluences of  a  whisky  punch.  He  remarked  with  a  coarse 
laugh: 

"Sawder,  how  did  you  like  the  primaries  this  year?" 

"They  were  well  managed." 

"  We  voted  nearly  one  hundred  men  from  Mrs.  Whiff's 
boarding  house,"  Sandy  added,  laughing  again  heartily. 

"Ah!     Indeed?" 

"  Now,  would  you  like  to  know  how  many  men  really 
board  there?" 

Sawder  looked  a  little  uncomfortable,  as  if  statistics  on 
such  matters  were  irrelevant.  This  was  a  matter  best  not  to 
be  mentioned,  even  to  the  man  who  profited  most  by  it. 
Sandy,  not  noticing  Sawder's  uneasiness,  added,  "Just  three 
men  and  two  boys." 

The  election  referred  to  was  a  primary.  In  these  pri- 
maries are  selected  the  delegates  who  nominate  candidates  for 
all  important  offices.  Thus  do  the  American  people  imagine 
that  they  select  their  own  candidates,  and  loyal  to  their  party, 
they  conclude  the  farce  by  voting  for  men  whom  they  really 
had  no  more  voice  in  selecting  than  did  the  people  of  Canada. 
In  justice  to  Sawder  it  must  be  said  that  he  had  time  and 
again  been  elected  fairly.  Lately,  however,  there  was  dis- 
sension among  his  own  followers,  and  hints  as  to  spots  on  his 
record.  There  was  increasing  confidence  on  the  part  of  the 
opposition.  He  had  tasted  the  sweets  of  office  and  influence 
too  long  to  resign  them  without  a  desperate  struggle,  and 
next  thing  to  being  elected  fairly  was  to  be  elected  at  all. 
Sandy  Miller  was  a  convert  from  the  opposition,  where  he 
had  frequently  worked  the  practical  part  of  the  machine. 
He  brought  these  tactics  into  the  camp  of  his  friends  in  a  high 
state  of  perfection.  The  "  boys  "  still  followed  him.  Sandy 
continued,  confidentially,  "  I've  two  men  who  are  daisies,  I 
tell  you.  I  introduced  you  to  them,  you  know,  Barney  Dyke 
and  Pewter  Williams." 

"  I  remember  them,"  said  Sawder.  The  Pewter  Williams 
referred  to  had  been  suspected  by  the  police  of  nearly  every 
crime  in  the  calendar,  but  had  never  been  detected  in  anything 
more  serious  than  participating  in  a  drunken  row  in  which  he 
nearly  killed  a  man.     Barney  Dyke  was  a  loafer  without  vis- 


62  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

ible  means  of  support,  except  the  earnings  of  a  hard-workingr 
wife.  He  drank  heavily,  gambled  in  a  small  way  when  he 
had  any  money,  which  was  not  often,  and  was  generally  dis- 
reputable. He  had  never  been  detected  in  anything  worse 
than  beating  the  unfortunate  woman  who  unaccountably  mar- 
ried such  a  brute.  For  this  pastime  he  got  fifty  days  and  a 
chance  to  get  sober. 

"  Dyke  will  look  after  the  registering.  There's  one  lodg- 
ing-house where  we've  twenty  men  from  Jersey  already." 

"  Particulars  are  unnecessary,"  said  Sawder  uneasily.  He 
feared  that  such  degrading  revalations  might  thoroughly  dis- 
gust Hickley,  who,  if  he  determined  on  bolting  the  machine, 
could  cause  a  very  disagreeable  party  rumpus.  He  wished 
the  subject  changed.  To  his  mind,  buying  legal  votes  for 
spot  cash  was  a  much  safer  and  more  genteel  method  than  col- 
onizing ruffians. 

"  I  was  only  explainin',  so  that  you  would  know  as  things 
was  goin'  on  all  right.  Williams  will  look  after  the  chal- 
lengers." 

The  challenging  department  deserves  a  few  words  of  ex- 
planation. Sawder's  party  had  never  worked  it  successfully. 
It  had  flourished  under  the  opposition,  led  by  a  celebrated 
"  Boss."  The  polls,  as  far  as  possible,  were  located  in  filthy 
alleys  or  inconvenient  places.  Around  them  on  election  day 
gathered  a  lot  of  the  dirtiest,  foul-smelling  reprobates  which 
the  slums  of  a  great  city  aflEbrd.  The  challenger  stood  by  the 
polls  and  caused  as  much  delay  as  possible  by  challenging  in- 
discriminately and  asking  needless  questions.  The  judges, 
notoriously  incompetent,  to  say  the  least,  greatly  facilitated 
this  operation  by  asking  stupid  questions  of  their  own.  As 
many  of  the  disreputable  "  gang  "  as  could  well  do  so  kept 
constantly  in  line  and  delayed  the  voting,  so  that  many  of  the 
respectable  element,  who  were  obliged  to  work  all  day,  could 
not  get  in  their  votes  at  night.  As  the  shades  of  a  dark  No- 
vember afternoon  set  in  the  mob  virtually  took  possession  of 
the  narrow  alley  and  "jostled"  timid  voters  often,  frighten- 
ing them  away  entirely.  A  more  determined  voter  was 
sometimes  quietly  knocked  down  and  then  arrested  for  creat- 
ing a  disturbance.  To  accomplish  this,  a  subservient  con- 
stabulary was  necessary,  and  these  could  always  be  secured 
under  cover  of  latv  by  the  dominant  party.  This  plan  by 
which  Sawder's  party  now  proposed  to  fight  the  enemy, 
could  not  be  worked  in  the  "silk  stocking"  precincts.     Such 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  63 

is  the  fiirce  too  often  enacted  in  oui*  great  cities  and  called  an 
election.  Can  men  wlio  use  dishonest  means  to  obtain  office, 
be  expected  to  be  honest  in  office? 

Sawder  evidently  thought  the  object  of  the  interview  had 
been  accomplished.  He  rdse,  remarking:  "  When  you  need 
pecuniarv  stimulus,  call  on  Mr.  Hickley,"  shook  Sandy's 
liand  cordially,  led  the  way  from  the  room,  and  sauntered  up 
street,  arm  in  arm  with  Hickley. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


VERY    HIGH    SOCIETY. 


Fifth  Avenue  had  for  sometime  been  in  a  state  of  breathless 
suspense.  Society  in  the  habitat  of  the  nabob  was  agitated 
from  its  profoundest  depths  (the  word  depth  is  used  figura- 
tively, for  nothing  there  could  be  low)  to  its  dizziest  pinnacles. 
Coming  events  are  said  to  cast  their  shadows  before,  but  this 
great  event  instead  of  a  shadow  cast  such  a  brilliant  glare  of 
light  in  advance  of  it  that  all  similar  illuminations  cast  only 
shadows  in  the  pervading  splendor.  A  great  ball  was  about 
to  be  given  by  the  Ingledees  on  a  scale  that  would  astonish 
the  aristocratic  "old  families."  The  newspapers  and  society 
journals  talked  of  the  event  daily  bv  the  column,  and  inti- 
mated that  the  upheaval  about  to  take  place  would  agitate 
the  upper  crust  'of  society,  as  it  was  never  stirred  before. 
Everybody,  that  is  everybody  who  "  pretended  to  be  any- 
thing," including  some  thousands  out  of  a  million  people,  was 
anxiously  expecting  tickets,  and  some  were  going  wild  at  the 
thought  that  the  Ingledees  would  have  to  draw  the  line  some- 
where, and  might  draw  it  before  their  names. 

Elderly  matrons  who  had  witnessed  a  hundred  similar 
events  posed  before  plate  mirrors  anxiously,  to  see  how  such 
slight  frayings  and  furrowings  as  time  had  made  inevitable 
in  their  charms,  could  be  most  thoroughly  concealed.  As  a 
good  story  lies  half  in  the  telling  so  a  woman's  beauty  is  half 
in  the  exhibit,  a  fact  which  these  ladies  of  uncertain  years  had 
learned  long  ago.  The  young  belles  of  one  or  two  seasons' 
experience,  and  the  timid  things  about  to  essay  the  dizzy  so- 
ciety whirl  for  the  first  time,  were  in  a  state  of  excitement  lit- 


64  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

tic  shoit  of  lunacy.  They  consulted,  chattered,  and  phuined 
their  beautiful  adornments  to  set  of!  each  personal  charm,  giv- 
ing as  much  thought  to  the  subject  as  does  the  jeweler  who 
is  intrusted  with  the  setting  of  a  rare  gem.  Young  and  old 
alike  drove  incessantly  hither  and  *thither  in  their  fine  car- 
riages, stopping  at  fashionable  emporiums  where  the  ravish- 
ing loveliness  of  the  costly  fabrics  for  sale  would  have  driven 
a  fairv,  who  is  supposed  to  have  all  these  things  at  command, 
wild  with  jealousy.  The  capricious  creatures  talked  unceas- 
ingly to  each  other  and  to  their  counselors,  pirouetted, 
selected  and  rejected  until  a  male  spectator  compelled  to  listen 
to  all  this  chatter,  and  aitempt  to  understand  it,  would  have 
certainly  gone  distracted. 

Meanwhile  the  very  young  male  devotee  of  fashion  was 
placed  in  no  enviable  situation.  The  cruel  decrees  of  custom 
prevented  him  from  expending  his  pent-up  feelings  on  ob- 
jects similar  to  the  thousand  and  one  incomprehensible  and 
mysterious  trifles  of  the  female  toilet.  He  could  strut  like  a 
peacock  before  his  glass  Jind  studv  killing  attitudes,  thus  in 
anticipation  ensnaring  the  heart  of  the  unwary  female  whom 
he  expected  to  circle  gradually  nearer  his  irresistible  charms 
as  the  heli)less  little  bird  flutters  to  its  doom  under  the  spell 
of  the  serpent.  He  might  also  puzzle  his  somewhat  easily- 
confused  brains  over  the  pattern  of  a  waistcoat  or  the  hair- 
breadth nicety  with  which  a  handkerchief  might  properly 
protrude  from  a  side  pocket. 

Mr.  Fred  Snicker  had  one  very  dear  source  of  solicitude 
which  kept  him  alternating  between  feverish  hope  and  chill 
despair.  He  gave  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  the  aggravat- 
ingly  slow  growth  of  his  embyro  mustache,  a  growth  which 
seemed  to  be  retarded  rather  than  accelerated  by  the  very 
liberal  tillage  bestowed  upon  it  in  the  way  of  irrigation  by 
tonics,  microscopic  prunings  and  homeopathic  brushings. 
These  anxious  attentions  were  as  absurd  as  an  attempt  to 
slaughter  a  flea  with  a  Gatliug  gun, — j^lenty  of  murder  but  lit- 
tle victim.  The  elderly-male  member  of  society  was  undis- 
turbed by  this  abnormal  commotion  around  him,  except  when 
the  current  of  his  thoughts  was  diverted  by  the  perusal  of  an 
apparently  interminable  bill  from  the  dressmaker  or  milliner. 

The  Ingledee  residence  for  several  days  before  the  event 
was  taken  possession  of  by  an  army  of  decorators.  As  an  ex- 
ample of  the  lavishness  with  which  the  embellishment^was 
conducted,  one    large     saloon    was    literally    covered     with 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  65 

thousands  of  jacqueminot  roses  which  cost  fifty  cents  apiece- 
Then  came  the  caterer's  men  who  brought  wagon  loads  of 
glass  and  dislies,  and  turned  the  house  into  a  vast  crockery 
emporium.  Idlers  hung  around  the  place,  watching  these 
movements  with  a  curiosity  akin  to  that  which  would  have 
been  exhibited,  had  a  murder  been  committed  there. 

On  the  eventful  evening  in  question  the  Ingledee  palace, 
if  so  it  may  be  termed  witliout  offense  to  republican  readers, 
was  brilliantly  lighted  from  basement  to  attic.  A  lofty  awn- 
ing of  red-and-white  striped  silk  stretched  from  the  door  to 
the  street.  The  steps  were  covered  w  ith  carpet  fit  for  the 
boudoir  of  a  queen.  Servants  in  gorgeous  livery  were  in 
attendance,  and  two  fine-looking  policemen  in  shining  new 
uniforms,  buttoned  and  gloved  to  statuesque  proportions, 
stood  silently  on  the  sidewalk  to  prevent  vulgar  eyes  from 
gazing  too  curiously  on  these  sacred  preparations,  or  vulgar 
feet  from  approaching  too  closely  tlie  holy  ground  conse- 
crated to  snobbery.  In  the  street  were  the  struggling  mob 
and  long  lines  of  carriages.  Beautiful  pages  in  gorgeous 
liveries  flitted  here  and  there,  assisting  fine  ladies  who  swept 
like  duchesses  through  the  broad  entrance,  with  rustling  trains 
of  richest  silks  and  satins. 

Inside,  the  air  was  heavy  with  the  perfume  of  flowers. 
There  were  flowers  everywhere, — in  vases,  in  garlands  over 
the  doorways,  in  festoons  from  the  ceilings,  and  on  entering 
the  drawing  rooms  and  ball  room,  every  guest  was  presented 
with  a  dainty  bouquet  of  exotics.  These  beautiful  trifles  cost 
Mr.  Ingledee  several  dollars  each,  as  afterward  duly  appeared 
in  the  papers.  They  were  comparatively  modest  display  lines 
in  this  stupendous  advertisement. 

The  "charming  young  hostess,"  Miss  Chetta  Ingledee, 
was  "  assisted  "  by  her  very  dear  friend.  Miss  Harrie  Snicker, 
daughter  of  Amaziah  Snicker,  who  had  once  scooped  a  mil- 
lion out  of  sugar.  Miss  Ingledee's  exquisite  dress  was  of  the 
richest  white  satin  trimmed  with  seed  pearls.  She  wore  no 
jewelry  beyond  a  small  gold  locket  which  had  been  her 
mother's,  and  a  pair  of  link  gold  bracelets,  set  with  a  single 
pendent  diamond.  She  wore  flowers  on  her  bosom  and  in  her 
dark  hair.  Her  dress  became  her  well,  and  she  had  the 
bearing  of  a  queen.  Miss  Harrie  Snicker  was  dressed  in 
cream  satin  trimmed  in  yellow  lace.  Her  train  was  of  the 
most  ample  and  unmanageable  proportions.  The  general 
effect  of  this  dress  placed  on  such  inadequate  femininity  was 

5 


66  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

similar  to  what  might  be  expected  if  a  blanket  were  attached 
to  a  boy's  kite  as  a  tail.  Harrie  Snicker,  though  perhaps  a 
trifle  above  medium  height,  was  utterly  devoid  of  that  com- 
manding presence  so  necessary  to  the  finely  dressed  lady. 
Harrie  had  the  same  insignificant,  retreating  chin  of  her 
brother,  though  less  exaggerated.  She  had  the  same  little, 
insignificant,  turn-up  nose,  the  same  vacuous  expression  of 
countenance,  though  any  one  seeing  Fred  Snicker  would 
have  declared  that  nature  could  not  duplicate  his  visage. 

But  nature,  with  all  her  infinite  resources  and  that  variety 
which  is  a  constant  miracle,  still  works  after  a  definite  plan 
by  definite  forms.  The  apparently  impossible  diflferences 
which  may  exist  in  so  small  a  compass  as  the  human  counte- 
nance, and  which  render  millions  effaces  distinguishable  at  a 
glance,  is  to  me  as  great  a  mystery  as  life  itself.  Yet  Nature 
has  never  made  anything  wliich  she  is  not  liable  to  reproduce 
almost  to  a  line  in  some  totally  unexpected  way. 

In  Miss  Snicker's  own  opinion  she  was  the  peer  of  the 
beautiful  hostess.  The  noisy  cat  bird  with  its  jerky  tail  may 
be  the  peer  of  the  stately  swan  in  some  respects,  but  cer- 
tainly not  in  grace  or  dignity.  Harrie  had  pretty  white 
shoulders,  which  were  displayed  so  as  to  make  the  most  of 
them.  Diamonds  sparkled  in  her  yellow  hair,  and  a  pearl 
necklace  encircled  her  neck.  On  her  arms  were  bracelets  of 
exquisite  workmanship. 

Miss  Bullion  was  radiant  in  white  tulle  embroidered  with 
gold.  On  her  person  was  one  hundred  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  diamonds.  Miss  Cypher  wore  white  lace  over 
white  silk.  Mrs.  Van  Brucker  wore  yellow  silk  and  black 
Brussels  lace.  Numerous  other  ladies  wore  equally  expen- 
sive and  beautiful  dresses,  but  space  will  not  admit  mention  of 
all  the  guests  and  their  costumes  did  the  patience  of  the  reader 
allow  it.  Doubtless  the  female  reader  has  already  lost  all 
patience  with  the  bungling  efl^orts  of  a  masculine  pen  to  do 
justice  to  the  utter  loveliness  of  a  five  thousand  dollar  dress. 

Among  the  guests  were  Mrs.  Chrysolite,  Mrs.  Ophir, 
Miss  Bullion,  Miss  De  Furrier,  Mrs.  St.  Sapodilla  and  others. 
Mr.  Snicker  was  there  to  perform  his  customary  exploit  in 
sugar.  Mr.  Van  der  Bleeker,  a  young  society  lion  who  lab- 
ored unceasingly  to  spend  the  interest  on  his  interest,  was 
there.  He  had  lately  immortalized  himself  by  following  a 
well-known  actress  all  over  the  country  in  the  role  of  Romeo 
to  her  Juliet  after  the  play.     Literature  was  represented  by 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  67 

several  journalists  of  leviathan  proportions,  and  the  iihiqui- 
tous  reporter  who  wrote  up  the  ladies'  dresses,  descriliing 
the  saloons  as  a  "  blaze  of  beauty  and  fashion."  Politics 
was  represented  in  the  person  of  the  Hon.  David  Sawder 
of  national  reputation,  to  say  nothing  of  several  lesser  public 
functionaries. 

Among  those  who  must  be  classed  as  miscellaneous^  for 
want  of  a  more  distinctive  qualifying  term,  was  Mr.  Wynd- 
leigh  Garmand,  a  tall,  handsome,  florid  Englishman,  with  the 
regulation  mutton-chop  side  whiskers  and  eye-glasses.  Gar- 
mand was  remotely  and  somewhat  dubiously  connected  with 
the  aristocracy;  but  the  feature  pertaining  to  him  which  is  of 
inost  interest  in  this  story  is  the  fact  that  he  was  very  wealthy. 
His  father  had  amassed  a  vast  fortune  in  trade,  and  then 
opportunely  died  at  the  proper  moment,  leaving  it  all  to  his 
son.  This  considerate  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  old  gentle- 
man may  be  adduced  as  a  worthy  example  to  those  obstinate 
parents  who  persist  in  living  long  after  they  cease  to  be  use- 
ful. Garmand  was  a  thoroughly  fresh  Englishman,  in  the 
widest  acceptation  of  that  much  abused  adjective.  He  had 
come  to  America  to  learn  our  "  rough  ways,"  and  had  begun 
at  Fifth  Avenue  because  it  happened  to  be  the  first  place  he 
struck. 

Mr.  Garmand  had  letters  to  the  Norvvells  and  others  in 
good  society,  hence  had  no  difficulty  in  entering  the  best 
circles  at  once.  He  had  to  some  extent  made  a  confidant  of 
Tom  Norwell,  whose  genial  manner  soon  thawed  EngHsIi 
reserve  so  far  as  that  very  refractory  article  can  be  liquified. 
This  was  Garmand's  first  appearance  in  republican  society. 
He  was  in  some  considerable  doubt  as  to  what  was  expected 
of  him  in  the  way  of  dress  in  the  wilds  of  a  new  country. 
From  what  he  had  seen  he  thought  this  country  was  not 
half  so  w^ild  as  he  had  supposed.  He  had  always  heard  that 
the  Americans  were  a  set  of  uncouth,  disagreeable  savages, 
with  possibly  a  few  rare  exceptions,  and  he  believed  it.  Un- 
fortunately two  or  three  specimens  of  the  traveling  Yankee 
whom  he  had  accidentally  known  in  London  confirmed  this 
view  by  their  disgusting  airs  and  reckless  display  of  speedily- 
acquired  wealth. 

Garmand's  father  being  only  in  trade  and  a  man  of  little 
culture,  the  tamily  had  never  been  admitted  into  the  very 
best  society  at  home,  and  he  was  totally  ignorant  of  what  was 
expected  of  him  here.     He   consulted   Tom  Norwell    as  to 


68  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

what  was  demanded  of  him  on  this  occasion.  Had  Tom 
advised  him  to  go  to  the  Ingledee  ball  in  corduroy  trousers, 
top  boots  and  a  flannel  blouse,  he  should  certainly  have  con- 
sidered the  matter.  But  no  amount  of  coaching  could  con- 
ceal his  ignorance,  not  only  of  New  York  society  but  of 
American  geography  and  history  in  general.  He  had  read 
only  a  little  English  history  and  the  small  amount  of  general 
history  incident  to  it.  That  was  all  his  father  thought  it 
worth  the  while  of  an  Englishman  to  know.  The  son  had 
come  to  learn  our  rough  ways,  and  was  of  an  inquiring  turn 
of  mind  in  consequence. 

During  the  course  of  the  evening  Garmand  was  intro- 
duced to  Arthur  Wilson,  and  a  conversation  sprang  up  be- 
tween them. 

"  Have  you  ever  visited  this  country  before,  Mr.  Gar- 
mand?" Garmand's  language  was  very  good.  His  speech 
was  altogether  too  well  calked  to  leak  aspirates  promiscuous- 
ly after  the  harrowing  manner  of  his  unlettered  countryman. 
Still  he  had  the  indescribable,  affected  drawl  of  the  cockney 
who  broadens  his  lazy  vowels  and  obscures  his  r's.  It  can- 
not be  placed  on  paper,  but  must  be  heard  to  be  appreciated. 
The  verb  "  cawn't "  gives  a  morsel  which  will  in  some  meas- 
ure illustrate  the  kind  of  sound  but  not  the  prolongation  of  it. 

"No;  never  had  the  opportunity  before.  I  came  over  on 
a  tour  of  some  duration  to  study  mankind  in  his  more  untram- 
meled  aspects."  He  thought  tliis  a  very  delicate  way  of 
putting  the  case.  He  thought  untrammeled  aspects  a  reason- 
able concession  to  Yankee  feelings,  when  in  reality  he  meant 
he  had  come  over  to  dissect  a  live  Yankee  and  see  what  the 
animal  was  made  of. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  find  the  untrammeled  aspects 
you  speak  of  very  interesting." 

"Ah,  indeed?  Yes,  I  dehsay!  Never  gave  it  any  study 
whatever,  3'ou  know,  ah,  but  now  I  mean  to  make  amends 
and  take  a  very  careful  review  of  your  social  and  political 
habits,  and  particularly  the  staatus  of  the  lower  closses."  He 
said  this,  with  an  air  which  implied  that  America  was  a  great 
natural  curiosity  to  be  looked  upon  as  such,  turned  over,  eye- 
glassed  and  dissected  merely  as  the  means  of  gratifying  curi- 
osity rather  than  from  any  real  benefits  to  be  derived  from 
the  examination.  It  was  a  case  similar  to  that  of  the  natu- 
ralist who  expends,  much  time  and  patience,  studying  the 
habits  of  ants  to  learn  whether  they  really  possess  slaves,  or 


AN    TROM    CROWN.  69 

the  domestic  prl\\acy  of  robins  to  ascertain  whether  they  are 
addicted  to  polyijainy.  Botli  aie  subjects  of  some  interest,  l)ut 
of  small  practical  moment.     Garmantl  added  : 

"  Really,  I  cawn't  see  why  the  study  of  primitive  man- 
ners and  customs  might  not  be  made  chawmingly  interest- 
ing." He  thought  he  could  take  a  morning  stroll  from  Union 
Square  and  find  an  Arcadian  region  where  the  inhabitants 
were  delightfully  fresh  and  primitive. 

"  Mr.  Garmand,  I  assure  you  such  stuches  as  you  propose, 
will  be  very  interesting  and  novel.  Possibly  you  will  go 
home  and  write  a  book  about  America  ? " 

"  Cawn't  say  now  'pon  my  soul.  Hadn't  thought  of  it 
really."  He  never  noticed  the  very  apparent  irony  of  Wil- 
son's interrogatory.  In  a  nation  which  considers  nothing  im- 
possible, and  which  has  produced  the  grandest  literature  of  all 
time,  the  writing  of  a  book  is  a  matter  of  course,  and  a  mere 
trifle. 

"  Do  you  think  that  I  shall  find  the  Americans,  that  is  to 
say  the  natives,  very  communicative  on  the  subjects  which  I 
propose  investigating?" 

"There's  no  doubt  of  it.  They  will  all  be  pleased  to  aid 
you.  It  would  afford  me  great  pleasure  at  any  time  you 
choose  if  you  would  command  me." 

"  Oh,  ah,  thank  you;  you  are  very  kind.  I  shall  some  day 
take  advantage  of  your  offer."  About  this  stage  of  the  inter- 
view Miss  Ingledee  happened  to  discover  the  whereabouts  of 
this  unique  pair.  She  wished  to  get  a  little  better  acquaint^ed 
with  Mr.  Wilson,  because  he  was  a  friend  of  Tom  Norwell. 
With  apoloyies  for  the  interruption  she  drew  Wilson  away, 
and  piloted  Garmand  to  her  friend,  Harrie  Snicker,  where  we 
will  leave  them  for  the  present.  Chetta  had  been  indefatiga- 
ble in  her  effort  to  make  the  ball  a  success.  Her  father  had 
prepared  this  great  show  at  vast  expense  merely  to  convince 
the  world  that  the  family  of  a  railway  king  asks  no  odds 
socially,  financially,  or  otherwise,  of  any  of  the  oldest  fami- 
lies. He  believed  in  advertising.  Chetta,  since  the  effort  had 
been  made,  wished  its  success  in  a  somewhat  different  sense, 
and  lent  her  energies  to  accomplishing  one  purpose — the 
pleasing  of  her  guests.  She  had  a  word  for  all  her  acquain- 
tances, and  it  was  Mr.  Wilson's  turn  now. 

«  You  are  a  friend  of  Mr.  Norwell?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am  visiting  the  family.  Our  fathers  were  old 
friends." 


yo  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  It  must  be  very  pleasant  to  recall  old  times  and  associa- 
tions." 

"  I  find  it  so,  though  I  had  previously  seen  but  little  of 
Tom  Norwell.     He  is  quite  a  society  man,  I  infer." 

"Oh,  yes,  indeed!  He  goes  everywhere.  Everybody 
knows  Thomas  Norwell." 

In  making  this  commonplace  rem.ark  Chetta  had  uncon- 
sciously fallen  into  the  set  phrases  of  supererogation  adopted 
by  good  society  when  speaking  of  itself.  I  use  the  term 
good  society  as  a  further  illustration  of  this  principle.  By 
evoybody  Chetta  meant  merely  high  society,  and  not,  as 
might  be  inferred  from  a  literal  construction,  boot-blacks,  por- 
ters, and  hackmen,  though  there  came  a  time  when  the  ears 
of  even  those  for  a  brief  season  rang  with  the  name  of  Nor- 
well,' which  was  on  every  tonorue. 

"  He  seems  very  popular,  said  Wilson,  "and  he  deserves 
to  be,  for  he  is  an  uncommonly  good  fellow."  He  was  on  the 
point  of  adding,  "  Don't  you  think  so.  Miss  Ingledee?"  when 
a  sudden  thought  arrested  his  speech  just  in  time.  Such  a 
question  in  a  case  where  the  young  lady  was  known  to  be  in- 
timately acquainted  with  the  young  man,  might  pass  beyond 
the  proper  bounds  of  conventional  conversation.  Her  heart 
would  have  leaped  at  the  question,  though  her  lips  would 
have  framed  a  very  indifferent  reply.  The  mystery  of  a  wo- 
man's love  is  like  perpetual   motion — never  to  be  solved. 

"  How  do  you  like  the  city,  Mr.  Wilson?" 

"  I  am  delighted  with  it  so  far."  Wilson  was,  indeed,  for- 
tunate in  having  a  card  to  high  societv  in  the  social  standing 
of  the  Norwells.  With  their  aid  he  had  seen  more  in  one 
month  of  fashionable  doings  than  he  could  have  seen  in  ten 
years  or  perhaps  a  lifetime  imaided.  She  added :  "I  must 
introduce  you  to  Miss  De  Furrier.  She  is  an  heiress  of  one 
of  the  wealthiest  families  in  the  city.  She  leads  the  very 
cream  of  the  cream  in  society."  Miss  De  Furrier  was  a  wo- 
man of  ordinary  beauty.  There  was  nothing  striking  in  her 
appearance,  though,  she  was  dressed  with  exquisite  taste. 
Her  manners,  which  were  frank  and  winning,  exhibited  thor- 
ough culture  and  genuine  refinement.  The  introduction  took- 
place,  and  Chetta,  who  could  devote  little  time  to  each  guest, 
glided  elsewhere. 

Supper  by  the  renowned  caterer,  Del  Mundo,  was  con- 
stantly being  served  after  eleven  o'clock  in  the  public  dining- 
room  of  the  house  and  a  spacious  annex  built  temporarily  for 


AN    IRON   CROWN.  yi 

the  occasion.  The  tables  groaned  (it  is  customary  for  tables 
to  groan  on  such  occasions)  with  the  most  costly  luxuries  and 
exquisite  delicacies.  There  were  eatables  enough  to  feed  an 
army,  and  the  way  in  which  they  disappeared,  showed  a  high 
degree  of  a]:)preciation  on  the  part  of  the  public.  Mr.  Garmand 
had  secured  Aliss  Ilarrie  Snicker  as  a  partner  to  supper.  Miss 
Snicker  liked  foreigners.  Americans  were  so  "•  common." 
She  had  introduced  him  to  her  father  and  her  mother  who 
was  a  tall,  faded  woman,  chiefly  noticeable  for  a  scared  look 
in  her  eyes,  and  a  marked  reticence  which  is  popularly  sup- 
posed to  be  an  index  of  superior  wisdom,  but  which  frequent- 
ly conceals  only  vacuity. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snicker,  with  two  or  three  couples  more 
denominated  old  folks,  had  decided  on  an  early  supper.  The 
little  coterie  found  seats  together  at  a  table.  Garmand 
thought  this  a  favorable  opportunity  to  learn  something  more 
about  the  United  States.  He  had  already  begun  to  conclude 
that  perhaps  after  all  this  country  was  considerable  of  a  spot 
on  the  map  of  the  world.  Had  he  known  that  3,000  miles  of 
forest,  mountain  and  prairie  separated  Calais,  Maine,  from 
San  Diego,  California;  or  that  an  equal  space  of  fertile  soil 
stretched  from  the  gi'aceful  palms  of  Cape  Sable  to  the  giant 
pines  of  Puget  Sound,  his  suspicion  would  have  been  con- 
firmed. But  fortunately  for  his  self-satisfied  patriotism  he  did 
not  know  it.  Nor  was  Garmand  by  any  means  an  igno- 
ramus. He  could  locate  Arbela  and  Marathon.  He  knew 
considerable  about  the  Saxons,  Danes  and  Normans,  and  still 
more  about  Wellington.  He  had  come  to  America  to  learn, 
and  expected  to  know  all  worth  finding  out  in  one  short  visit. 
He  began  on  Miss  Harrie  Snicker.  Before  that  young  lady 
had  been  introduced  to  him  five  minutes  she  inadvertently 
called  him  "  My  Lord,"  and  then  blushingly  apologized, 
though  his  disclaimer  of  the  title  showed  no  anger  what- 
ever. 

"  I've  heard  of  the  Hoosiers,  Miss  Snicker.  Could  you 
tell  me  something  of  the  habits  of  that  strange  tribe,  which, 
if  I  am  correctly  informed,  is  not  yet  extinct?" 

"  I  don't  pay  much  attention  to  those  horrid  common 
things.  I  believe  they  live  out  West,  in  Utah,  or  some- 
where." 

"  Do  they  practice  polygamy,  then?" 

"  What  a  very  strange  question.  How  should  I  know?" 
she  answered,  with  a  pretty  little  pout,  as  if  such  a  question 


72 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


was  hardly  the  thing  to  propound  to  a  young  lady.  «  I'll  ask 
pa.  Pa."  This  little  syllable  was  spoken  with  an  indescribable 
tone  which  indicated  languor  of  thought,  affectation  and  petu- 
lance. It  was  prolonged  to  several  times  its  natural  continua- 
tion as  was  befitting  any  reference,  however  short,  to  so  im- 
portant a  personage  in  the  ^nicker  economy. 

"  What  is  it,  daughter?"  inquired  Snicker,  with  his  mouth 
uncomfortably  full  of  fried  oysters. 

"  Tell  Air.  Garmand  about  the  Hoosiers." 

"  They  live  in  Indiana  and  wear  blue  jeans,"  was  the 
laconic  reply,  with  another  fried  oyster  immediately  succeed- 
ing it. 

"Do  they  have  a  plurality  of  wives?" 

« A  which?" 

"  Several  wives,  you  know." 

"No;  can't  hardly  support  one,  I  guess."  Snicker  an- 
swered in  a  rather  loud,  dogmatical  tone,  which  indicated  that 
when  he  expressed  an  opinion  on   any  subject,  that  settled  it. 

"Ah,  thank  you."  Garmand,  as  became  a  gallant,  again 
addressed  Miss  Snicker.  "It  must  be  delightfulh-  imique  to 
live  in  a  country  where  so  many  peoples  and  customs  pass  be- 
fore your  eve  every  day,  you  know.  There  are  the  Hoosiers, 
the  Suckers,  the  Modocs,  the  Apaches,  and  so  many  other 
delightfully  primitive  tribes." 

"  What  strange  questions  you  ask,  my  Lord — I  beg  par- 
don— Mr.  Garmand,  I  mean."  After  this  little  verbal  naugh- 
tiness a  blush  struggled  to  make  itself  apparent  beneath  the 
powder   on   Miss   Snicker's  cheek,  but  fiiiled.     She  went  on: 

"Those  things  are  so  very  common  that  I  never  pay  any 
attention  to  them." 

Common  was  a  word  of  daily,  nay,  hourl}^  necessity  in 
the  Snicker  vocabulary.  The  family  looked  with  contempt 
on  anything  common,  including  the  sixth  sense  of  that  name. 
Snicker,  Senior,  was  "no  common  man,  su","  as  he  frequently 
informed  his  acquaintances.  For  this  reason  Tom  Norwell, 
Hickley,  Silas  Ingledee,  and  the  young  men  generally,  knew 
him  confidentially  as  the  "  Old  Commoner."  Fred  Snicker 
was  the  "  Young  Commoner,"  and  Miss  Harrie  "  The  Little 
Commoner."  In  despair  at  such  meager  results,  Garmand 
again  directed  his  battery  against  the  Old  Commoner. 

"  This  seems  to  be  a  country  of  considerable  opportunity, 
Mr.  Snicker.  The  common  people,  I  observe,  appear  to  have 
considerable  to  say  here." 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


73 


The  common  people  he  had  seen  in  Fifth  avenue  did,  in- 
deed, seem  to  create  some  stir  in  the  world. 

"Grand  opportunities,  sir,"  came  back,  fiUered  through  a 
spoonful  of  lobster  salad. 

"  And  open  apparently  to  the  peasantry." 

"The  which,  sir?" 

"  The  peasantry,  the  ah — the  lower  closses,  you  know." 

"  We've  no  peasantry  here,  Mr.  Garmand.  Our  people 
are  intelligent  citizens,  sir.  With  us  they  are  simply  the  com- 
mon people." 

"  And  the  opportunities,  you  know,  are  they  open  to  all?" 

"  Well,  in  one  sense  yes,  in  one  sense  no."  Snicker  de- 
livered this  opinion  slowly  in  sections,  conscious  of  its  vast 
importance.  "  There  are  great  opportunities  in  America,  but 
it  takes  no  common  man  to  seize  them,  sir."  He  uncon- 
sciously used  the  word  seize  with  precision.  If  there  were 
less  seizing,  doubtless  there  would  be  fewer  great  opportuni- 
ties. "  For  instance,"  he  continued,  seriously  impeded  with 
chicken  and  jelly,  "  I  scooped  a  million  out  of  sugar." 

"No!  really,  you  know,"  ejaculated  Garmand. 

"  Why  didn't  other  people  do  it?"  He  did  not  reflect  that 
if  everybody  had  at  the  same  time  engaged  in  scooping 
sugar,  the  supply  both  of  scoops  and  sugar  might  have  been 
inadequate. 

"  I  scarcely  understand  you,"  said  Garmand,  with  a  puz- 
zled air. 

"  I  said  I  scooped  a  million  out  of  sugar.  It's  simple 
enough,  but  no  common  thing,  I  assure  you." 

"Oh,  I  see,"  said  Garmand.  "You  were  ah — once  en- 
gaged in  a  sugar  factory,  eh?" 

This  was  a  very  natural  mistake,  for  Snicker's  well-knit, 
portly  frame,  short  neck  and  powerful  hand  indicated  very 
superior  powers  when  anything  was  to  be  scooped  in  a  physi- 
cal sense. 

"  Wrong,  sir,"  said  Snicker,  with  as  much  dignity  as 
could  be  assumed  under  the  depressing  influences  of  a  tart 
that  persisted  in  dripping.  "I  bought  low  and  sold  high. 
When  the  war  beg:an  I  saw  that  susrar  was  sroin'  to  o-o  hioher 
than  Gilderoy's  kite.  I  bought  all  there  was  in  the  market. 
Simple  enough,  wasn't  it?" 

'•  Chavvmingly  simple." 

"  Part  of  it  was  molasses.  Pa." 

"  Oh,  a  trifle  of  a  hundred  thousand  barrels,"  he  replied. 


74  AN   IRON    CROWN. 

dismissing  the  subject  and  the  tart  at  the  same  time,  with  a 
wave  of  his  hand.  The  party  now  left  the  table  to  escape 
the  crush  which  was  beginning  to  be  felt  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  edibles. 

Mr.  Ingledee  did  not  play  the  host  with  the  same  genial- 
ity that  marked  the  efforts  of  his  daughter.  He  was  studi- 
ously polite  to  all,  but  extra  attentions  on  his  part  were 
scarcely  becoming  to  his  position  unless  bestowed  on  noted 
men,  such  as  the  Hon.  Dave  Sawder.  It  was  quite  enough 
for  the  rank  and  file  to  be  invited  to  his  house  at  all.  If 
cordiality  might  seem  lacking,  there  was  much  real  dignity 
in  his  commanding  figure  and  rigorously  polite  manner.  He 
and  the  Hon.  Dave  Sawder  were  discussing  politics.  Ingle- 
dee had  strong  convictions  that  the  only  way  to  save  the 
country  was  to  keep  the  party  which  was  now  in  power  in 
possession  of  the  government.  There  was  much  patriotic 
talk  about  the  best  interests  of  the  country,  some  about  the 
purity  of  the  ballot  box,  and  some  on  the  currency  question. 
The  suljject  nearest  both  their  hearts, — the  attitude  of  the 
people  and  tlie  government  on  the  railroad  question, — was  not 
mentioned  at  all.     That  could  be  better  discussed  elsewhere. 

A  Mr.  Brownell  joined  in  the  conversation.  Brownell 
was  a  pompons  man  of  most  patrician  appearance.  He  was 
very  wealthy,  and  had  no  business.  He  and  his  family  spent 
a  great  deal  of  time  abroad,  where  the  conditions  appeared 
to  be  more  favorable  to  the  proper  nurture  of  their  transcend- 
ent pride.  The  care  of  this  was  quite  enough  for  one  man. 
It  left  him  no  time  to  fulfil  the  common  duties  of  a  citizen. 
He  paid  heavy  taxes  without  a  murmur  because  that  was  a 
matter  of  course,  and  cost  nothing  but  money.  He  had  no 
time  to  vote,  and  boasted  that  he  had  never  participated  in 
that  plebeian  performance  but  once  when  he  was  very  young. 
Sawder  was  trying  with  indifferent  success  to  convince  him 
that  it  was  his  duty  to  vote.  Brownell,  as  a  compromise, 
said  he  would  ask  his  private  secretary  to  go  to  the  polls, — 
thought  he  was  a  voter,  was  not  quite  sure.  In  Mr.  Brow- 
nell's  estimation  it  was  scarcely  worth  while  being  an  Amer- 
ican citizen.  The  Rornan,  in  that  elder  day,  thought  to  be  a 
Roman  citizen  v/as  greater  than  a  king.  Mr.  Fred  Snicker, 
who  had  joined  the  group,  said  with  considerable  show  of 
patriotism  that  he  intended  to  cast  his  first  vote  "  even  if  it 
did  rain  and  prove  disagweeable."  Horace  Roker  announced 
a  like  determination.     Snicker  continued : 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  75 

"It's  a  deuccdly  disagweeable  duty  tliough.  I  think  there 
ought  to  be  separate  polls  planted  for  the  upper  classes."  He 
spoke  of  the  polls  as  if  he  referred  to  a  hop  yard.  "  To 
stand  and  be  challenged  by  one  of  those  fellows  is  too  bad. 
In  fact,  I  consider  it  very  abwupt  to  interrogate  a  gentleman 
that  way." 

The  Ingledee  ball  was  drawing  to  a  end  at  three  in  the 
morning.  It  had  been  a  most  brilliant  affair.  Two  thousand 
guests  had  been  invited.  There  were  beautiful  women,  gor- 
geous costumes  and  sparkling  jewels  of  fabulous  worth.  The 
air  w^as  heavy  with  the  perfume  of  choice  flowers,  and  a  thou- 
sand gas  jets,  softened  by  translucent  screens,  poured  down  a 
flood  of  lambent  light.  Rapturous  strains  of  music  rose  and 
fell  from  time  to  time  through  the  spacious  ballroom  and 
saloons.  An  unceasing  hum  of  voices  was  everywhere.  The 
constant  movement  of  richly-dressed  ladies  from  place  to 
place  continually  shifted  the  scene  like  the  magic  changes  of 
the  kaleidoscope.  Guests  continued  to  arrive  until  so  late  an 
hour  that  the  incoming  tide  searcely  cleared  the  way  for 
those  homeward  bound.  Blooming  maiden  and  stately  dame, 
callow  youth  and  bearded  manhood,  all  feasted  their  eyes  on 
the  prevailing  splendor  that  shone  in  every  detail  of  the 
gorgeous  whole. 

The  ball  was  a  success.  It  cost  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  It  was  an  occasion  never  to  be  forgotten  by  those 
who  had  participated.  It  made  nobody  happier  or  better, 
but  it  stirred  to  its  depths  a  whole  ocean  of  pride,  and  there 
was  a  vast  satisfaction  in  that.  Some  there  were  who  thought 
all  this  time  and  money  and  effort  well  expended.  To  them 
it  was  a  choice  oblation  to  the  god  Style,  who  is  exalted  by 
the  side  of  Mammon  in  the  modern  Pantheon.  Miss  Harrie 
Snicker  was  happy,  for  she  had  "  assisted  "  at  the  greatest 
social  event  that  had  ever  occurred  in  New  York.  Miss 
Ingledee  was  satisfied  because  she  had  succeeded  in  playing 
hostess  on  this,  her  first  great  occasion,  without  a  jar  in  the 
movement  of  the  great  social  panorama.  Mr.  Ingledee  was 
satisfied  that  the  thing  was  well  done  and  would  pay,  and 
that  was  enough  for  him.  In  short,  everybody  seemed 
satisfied  except  those  who  were  not  invited. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

"     WILL    YOU    WALK    INTO     MY    PARLOR,     SAID    THE    SPIDER 
TO    THE     FLY." 

We  find  ourselves  again  in  the  palatial  quarters  of  the 
Argosy  Club.  In  the  smoking  room  sat  Mr.  Norwell  and 
Mr.  Ingledee.  Though  nev^er  intimate,  the  two  were  on 
speaking  terms.  Lntely  Mr.  Ingledee  hail  seen  fit  to  make 
the  acquaintance  a  trifle  closer  and  more  cordial  on  his  part. 
Mr.  Norwell  was  a  capitalist,  and  by  some  occult  process 
Ingledee  had  learned  that  he  was  investing  heavily  in  rail- 
way securities.  Mr.  Ingledee  was  largely  interested  in  the 
Pacific  Midland,  a  trunk  line  which,  like  its  twin  iniquity 
engineered  by  Ophir,  was  "  a  great  public  necessity."  The 
onl}'  difference  was  that  Ingiedee's  public  necessity  was 
located  some  thousand  miles,  more  or  less,  farther  from  civil- 
ization than  Opliir's.  Consequently  it  was  so  much  farther 
from  the  public  eye,  which  oi-gan  so  frequently  fails  to  see  as 
to  give  rise  to   the  painful  suspicion  that  it  is  stone  blind. 

The  Midland  got  iiS  necessary  legislation  through  Con- 
gress by  joining  forces  with  the  Continental  &  Pacific. 
Together  these  great  corporations,  through  the  lobby  or  "Third 
House,"  moved  on  the  national  Legislature.  There  was 
unlimited  wining  and  dining  and  trading  of  influence,  and  the 
smiles  of  fair  women  of  amiable  dispositions,  and  making  of 
presents,  and  "•seeing"  of  Congressmen  when  all  other  means 
had  failed.  And  so  the  railroads  got  what  they  asked,  while 
a  betrayed  nation  slept,  only  to  awake  covered  with  shame 
and  disgraced  by  the  men  it  had  honored.  In  all  history, 
even  in  the  days  of  Roman  infamy,  thei'e  is  no  record  of  a 
greater  grab.  Of  all  the  steals,  rings  and  rascalities  which 
grew  out  of  the  Civil  War,  and  the  demoralization  conse- 
quent upon  it,  these  were  the  most  unscrupulous  in  concep- 
tion, daring  in  execution,  and  colossal  in  proportions. 

These  companies  built  their  roads  out  of  the  generous 
bounty  of  the  government,  which  bounty  was  granted  for  the 

(76) 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


77 


sole  purpose  of  building  a  national  highway  for  the  benefit 
of  the  people.  Their  land  grant  was  in  itself  an  empire,  and 
they  scrupled  not  to  take  possession  of  it  before  they  Iiad  ful- 
filled the  conditions  laid  down  in  their  charter.  The  unfor- 
tunate settlers  on  such  lands  were  driven  from  their  homes 
in  some  instances  by  bands  of  hired  murderers,  employed  by 
these  soulless  money  kings  of  the  New  World.*  American 
citizens  were  shot  down  in  cold  blood  in  order  that  these 
grasping  despots  might  have  a  few  more  acres.  Others  lived 
in  dread  of  ejectment  under  forms  of  law  from  homes  right- 
fully theirs,  and  reclaimed  from  nature  by  their  own  hands. 
The  machinery  of  the  state  and  United  States  government  is 
often  invoked  in  assisting  unrighteous  acts  of  usurpation, 
while  the  people  sit  indifferent.  When  the  horse  has  been 
stolen,  and  the  thief  beyond  reach  of  the  law  (as  these  par- 
ticular thieves  already  are),  there  will  doubtless  be  a  great 
hue  and  cry  and  much  show  of  putting  padlocks  on  the  doors 
of  the  national  stable,  which  needs  a  second  Hercules  for  its 
cleansing. 

Ingledee  was  endeavoring  to  convince  Norwell  that  a 
little  of  the  Pacific  Midland  stock  would  be  a  good  thing  to 
have.  It  had  undoubtedly  been  a  good  thing  for  him  and  his 
three  or  four  associate  conspirators,  who,  beginning  with  a 
few  thousand  dollars,  now  controlled  the  whole  of  this  great 
corporation,  and  wielded  an  influence  which  even  the  United 
States  Government  could  not  successfully  oppose.  The  gov- 
ernment subsidy  in  bonds,  together  with  the  company's  own 
bonds,  which  took  precedence  by  the  Sawder  act  over  the 
government  lien,  sutbced  to  build  the  road.  The  company 
had  their  capital  stock  of  sixty  millions  and  nearly  twelve 
million  acres  of  land  free.  This  stock  rose  to  nearly  par  in 
due  time, because  the  commerce  of  several  states  was  obliged 
to  pass  over  the  line,  and  its  franchises  were  of  immense 
value.  Was  ever  such  a  princely  gift  bestowed  anywhere 
outside  the  fairy  realms  of  the  Arabian  Nights?  Statesmen 
of  the  Dave  Sawder  type  are  very  generous  with  public 
property.  What  did  Uncle  Sam  get  in  return?  The  privi- 
lege of  paying  for  a  railroad  without  the  right  of  owning  or 
controlling  it,  and  a  second  mortgage  which  he  has  found  no 
#  means  of  collecting.  What  did  the  people  of  the  <5c;/;c;f/'<?(/ 
(?)  region  get?     The    blessed    privilege  of  submitting  to  a 

*  Note  i. — The  Mussel-Slough  tragedy. 


^8  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

monopoly  so  grasping,  aggressive  and  insatiable  that  the  mis- 
sion of  the  slave-driver  is  respectable  compared  with  it.  It 
may  also  be  added,  if  anything  is  necessary  to  round  out  the 
fullness  of  such  a  stupendous  iniquity,  that  the  officers  of  the 
Midland  Company,  in  addition  to  all  that  has  been  enumer- 
ated, made  vast  sums  out  of  the  construction  of  the  road  it- 
self. They  organized  a  "Financial  Credit  and  Supply  Com- 
pany," which  undertook  to  build  the  road.  Precisely  as 
Oakesworth's  Construction  Credit  Company,  of  notorious 
reputation,  built  the  Continental  and  Pacific.  Ingledee  and 
his  partners  let  to  the  Financial  Credit  and  Supply  Company, 
which  was  themselves,  construction  contracts,  for  which 
enormous  profits  accrued  to  themselves  at  the  expense  of  the 
railroad  company,  whose  officers  they  were.  Was  there  ever 
a  more  eflfective  device  for  making  money?  But  with  this 
the  public  is,  or  should  be  familiar.* 

Horace  Roker  dropped  in  presently,  and  the  conversation 
turned  on  the  stock  market  in  general.  Several  anecdotes  of 
the  "  street "  were  told,  and  Ingledee  gradually  veered  round 
to  the  subject  of  Norwell's  investments  again. 

"  Norwell,  you  can't  possibly  find  anything  equal  to  it. 
Think  of  stock  selling  below  par  which  will  soon  pay  fifteen 
per  cent,  dividends.  It  paid  ten  last  year,  so  you  see  we  are 
improving."  He  added,  confidentially,  "  We  could  run  it  to 
twenty-five  if  we  chose."  Or,  he  might  have  added,  would 
if  they  dared.  • 

"  Really,  Mr.  Ingledee,  your  stock  is  unquestionably  a 
good  thing,  but  the  fact  is  I  have  agreed  to  take  a  block  of 
Ophir's.  He  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,  and  I  feel  like  helping 
him  first." 

At  the  mention  of  the  word  friend  an  observer  might  have 
noticed  a  smile  curl  the  thin  lips  of  Roker.  But  it  passed  in- 
stantly, and  the  firm  lines  of  his  mouth  again  indicated  noth- 
ing but  their  usual  inflexible  gentility. 

Ingledee,  who  had  a  very  persistent  cast  of  mind  in 
matters  of  urgent  moment,  replied,  "  Yes,  that  is  all  well 
enough.  I  don't  care,  of  course,  to  interfere  with  Ophir's 
transactions,  but  you  know,  Norwell,  that  it  is  not  best  to 
carry  all  your  &%%\  in  one  basket.  The  rain  that  ruins  your 
hay  makes  your  corn,  don't  you  see.  Roker,  what  do  you% 
think  of  Midland  Pacific?" 

♦See  Note  2,  especially  the  summary. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  79 

"It  is  gilt-edged  security  beyond  question." 
"  I  do  not  doubt  it,  gentlemen.     I  will  consider  the   mat- 
ter, but  for  the  present  I  have  all  the  railroad  securities  I  care 
to  carry."     Mr.  Norwell   rose  and  prepared   to   take  his  de- 
parture. 

"  Consider  the  matter,  Norwell,  and  drop  in." 
"I  think  I  can  scarcely  promise  that,  Mr.  Ingledee." 
Mr.  Norwell  took  his  leave  and  only  Roker  and  Ingledee 
happened  to  remain  in  the  room.  Roker  was  secretly  pleased 
to  have  so  good  an  opportunity  to  improve  the  acquaintance 
of  his  employer.  It  may  be  supposed  that  ten  years  of  al- 
most daily  intercourse  had  already  made  these  two  men  well 
acquainted.  But  sucl\was  not  the  case.  We  may  meet  peo- 
ple every  day  for  years;  we  may  eat  with  them,  work  with 
them,  and  imagine  we  know  them  as  well  as  our  Bibles — pos- 
sibly much  better.  We  pronounce  such  a  person  a  good  fel- 
low if  we  like  him,  or  a  bore  if  we  dislike  him.  Usually  we 
do, not  know  him  to  be  either,  in  reality.  A  sudden  crisis 
comes  in  our  acquaintance.  A  pressing  need  of  service  on  his 
part  or  ours  proves  his  nobility  of  soul  to  be  like  fine  gold  or 
his  selfishness  to  be  deserving  only  of  contempt.  Perhaps  a 
mere  trifle  leads  to  this  startling  revelation,  and  we  learn  in 
ten  minutes  what  we  failed  to  see  in  ten  years. 

Horace  Roker  had  been  studying  his  employer  with  a 
purpose,  and  knew  him  much  better  than  Ingledee  suspected. 
He  felt  that  the  time  had  come  for  making  some  cautious  ap- 
proaches toward  the  one  great  object  he  had  in  view.  He 
already  had  the  confidence  of  the  son,  and  felt  that  it  was 
within  the  scope  of  probability  to  hold  the  same  relation 
toward  the  father.  As  to  the  daughter,  had  she  not  always 
been  gracious?  In  that  quarter  he  would  trust  his  passable 
looks,  good  manners  and  honeyed  words.  He  argued  that 
any  woman  who  is  heart  free  will  love  any  man  of  de- 
cent standing  and  good  prospects,  provided  he  persistently 
leads  her  to  believe  that  he  loves  her.  But  theories  are  use- 
less in  love.  Ingledee  spoke  first,  unconsciously  paving  the 
way  to  his  confidential  clerk's  purpose. 

"  Roker,  I  should  like  to  get  Norwell  into  M.  P.  He  is 
one  of  the  solid  men  of  the  city.  He  would  influence  a 
great  many  more  who  are  rather  conservative  respecting  such 
investments." 

"  He  would  be  of  great  value,  but  I  hardly  think  you'll 
get  him." 


So  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"Why?" 

"  He  is  an  old  personal  friend  of  Ophir's." 

"  Old  person:il  friend.  Ah,  indeed  ?"  The  tone  of  this  re- 
mark might  indicate  that  Mr.  Ingledee  appreciated  the  advant- 
age which  old  personal  friendship  may  offer  when  we  wish  to 
make  use  of  it  for  our  own  selfish  purposes. 

"  I  shall  not  withdraw  my  proposition  on  that  account. 
Ophir  would  be  none  too  particular  in  handling  my  personal 
friends." 

"  I  merely  wished  to  say  that  I  thought  it  impossible  to 
get  him  into  the  enterprise." 

"  1  understand  your  meaning." 

"  The  son,  Tom  Norwell,  would  turn  the  whole  fortune 
into  Wall  street  in  a  month  if  he  had  it." 

"Think  so?     Do  you  know  him  well?" 

Rokei'  had  made  this  very  commonplace  remark  with  a 
design  not  apparent  on  the  surface.  Ostensibly  it  was  a  piece 
of  information  pertaining  to  business.  It  was  a  pointer  which 
might   be   useful  when   lambs  were  to  be  shorn  in  the  street. 

"  Re  is  an  excellent  young  man  according  to  report,  but 
not  very  decided  in  anything,  I  believe,"  added  Roker. 

"  Possibly;  I  can't  say." 

"  I  have  heard  him  express  an  intention  to  go  into  the 
street  some  time." 

"  Most  young  men  probably  try  it  once  in  their  lives." 
The  pump  was  not  drawing  at  all.  A  deeper  level  must  be 
reached  before  any  information  could  be  extracted.  The 
conversation  at  once  took  a  new  turn. 

"  Your  ball  was  a  great  success,  Mr.  Ingledee." 

"Do  you  think  so?"  asked  the  latter,  well  pleased  by  the 
compliment.     "  Such  things  should  always  be  done  well." 

"And  yours  was  admirably  managed.  Miss  Ingledee  bore 
herself  with  all  the  grace  and  charm  supposed  to  belong  only 
to  long  experience." 

"  I  believe  she  acquitted  herself  quite  satisfactorily."  In 
truth,  Mr.  Ingledee  was  secretly  pleased  with  Chetta.  He 
did  not  before  realize  that  a  girl  could  be  of  much  use.  Now 
he  had  different  ideas  on  the  subject. 

"  Life  presents  so  many  different  aspects,  that  the  art  of 
true  living  is  in  itself  a  great  study,  and  I  take  it  that  few 
people  really  attain  perfection  in  it,  if  indeed  perfection  be 
ever  more  than  a  relative  term.  For  instance,  some  people 
grub  continually  and  never  enjoy.     Others  spend  their  entire 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  8l 

time  in  a  vain  pursuit  of  pleasure,  and  never  experience  the 
sweet  satisfoction  to  be  derived  from  a  bit  of  real  work  which 
accomplishes  a  useful  purpose.  Neither  class  have  learned 
the  true  secret  of  happiness." 

"  I  agree  with  you  there,  Roker,  entirely." 

"  The  social  and  business  phases  of  life,"  said  Roker, 
"  should  have  a  healthful  influence  upon  each  other.  They 
do  so  in  well-ordered  lives.  That  work  w;hich  we  do  easiest 
is  always  our  very  best,  and  so  a  healthy  nature  takes  most 
pleasure  in  those  amusements  which  are  not  frivolous.  Thus 
social  influences  give  business  a  healthful  stimulus.  If  you 
will  excuse  a  comparison  which  may  seem  at  first  sight  sor- 
did, I  have  no  doubt  your  splendid  reception  will  in  some 
way  send  the  impulses  of  its  waves  sooner  or  later  into  busi- 
ness, I  may  venture  to  guess  into  Wall  Street." 

"  I've  no  doubt  of  it,"  replied  Ingledee,  who  had  been  so 
busy  with  Roker's  piece  of  logic  that  he  did  not  at  once 
realize  its  legitimate  conclusion,  which  formulated  exactly  his 
own  view  of  the  subject,  namely,  that  his  grand  reception 
had  been  a  conspicuous  advertisement  sure  to  pay  in  the  end. 
On  second  thought  he  realized  that  Roker  looked  upon  the 
matter  in  the  same  light  that  he  did  himself.  Under  the 
guise  of  philosophy,  Roker  had  steei'ed  the  conversation 
round  a  very  ticklish  turning,  and  had  made  plain  a  fact  that, 
if  bluntly  put,  would  have  been  disclaimed  and  perhaps 
resented  by  -Mr.  Ingledee.  As  no  motive  was  apparent,  Mr. 
Ingledee  suspected  no  intention  in  the  artifice.  Roker's 
plummet  was  capable  of  sounding  even  a  railway  king.  He 
continued  in  the  same  careless,  philosophizing  tone: 

"  I  think  a  man's  surroundings  have  more  to  do  with  his 
success  than  most  people  allow." 

"  I  made  my  way  in  the  world  in  spite  of  surroundings," 
said  Mr.  Ingledee  with  a  tone  of  much  satisfaction. 

"  I  am  aware  of  your  views  on  this  subject,  but  allow  me 
to  illustrate:  I  was  reading  the  other  day  some  very  curious 
things  concerning  married  men  and  bachelors.  Statistics 
seem  to  show  that  married  men  lead  the  bachelors  by  far  in 
most  occupations  of  life.  In  some  things  I  think  a  bachelor 
should  succeed  best.  For  example,  the  e^rg  gatherers  in 
those  northern  islands  where  men  take  the  eggs,  hanging 
meantime  by  a  rope  from  the  side  of  a  dizzy  cliff.  In  such  a 
position  the  thought  of  wife  and  children  might  render  the 
nerves  unsteady.  By  the  way,  Mr.  Ingledee,  did  you  ever 
6 


82  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

know  any  considerable  number  of  bachelors  to  succeed  in 
Wall  Street?" 

"Really,  that  is  a  question  I  never  tliought  of." 

"I  ask  for  information,  and  not  as  a  mere  matter  of  curi- 
osity.  ■  I  have  some  ambition  in  that  direction  myself,  you 
know.     Of  course  in  a  small  way,"  he  added  deprecatingly. 

"  On  the  whole,  I  should  advise  marriage.  The  social 
advantages  you  speak  of  are  all  on  the  side  of  the  married 
man." 

"  I  think  it  good  advice.  You  have  followed  it  yourself. 
Doubtless  your  son  will  do  the  same  in  due  time."  Family 
matters  were  reached  at  last. 

"  My  son  seems  to  delight  just  now  in  playing  the  fool 
rather  than  in  seeking  a  sensible  wife." 

"  Boys  will  be  boys." 

"  He  is  no  longer  a  boy.  I  am  not  satisfied  with  his  con- 
duct." Roker  was  secretly  rejoiced.  The  beginning  of  con- 
fidences between  himself  and  Ingledee  was  a  great  step 
toward  the  object  he  had  in  view.  By  a  convulsive  nervous 
action  his  scalp  suddenly  drew  itself  forward,  nearly  bringing 
his  hair  down  to  his  eyebrows.  This  movement  was  the 
reflex  of  a  sudden  thrill  of  emotion.  It  instantly  ceased,  and 
Roker  himself  was  scarcely  conscious  oi'  the  movement. 
Ingledee,  if  he  noticed  it,  said  nothing.  He  always  consid- 
ered it  a  deformity,  and  had  too  much  delicacy  to  take  notice 
of  a  personal  defect. 

"  Mr.  Ingledee,  possibly  you  forget  that  the  conditions  of 
his  boyhood  are  very  dilferent  from  those  of  your  own,  if  you 
will  excuse  comparison.  He  has  great  wealth  at  command 
and  a  position  to  maintain  in  society." 

"And  a  capacity  for  playing  the  tomfool.  I  tell  you  it 
won't  do." 

"  Really,  I  think  you  imagine  it  worse  than  it  is." 

"  It's  bad  enough  any  way."  It  was  very  painful  for  this 
proud  man  to  allude  to  the  skeleton  in  his  closet,  mucli  less 
discuss  it  with  a  stranger.  He  felt  ashamed  of  even  appear- 
ing to  set  a  spy  on  his  son's  actions,  but  here  was  an  oppor- 
tunity which  he  would  improve  in  spite  of  his  scruples.  The 
reputation  and  future  happiness  of  his  son  were  at  stake,  and 
he  could  no  longer  spare  his  own  feelings,  or  indulge  nice 
scruples.     After  a  brief  pause  and  with  an  effort,  he  said: 

"  Tell  me  what  you  really  know  of  Silas." 

Ingfledee  was  resigned  to  hear  disagreeable  details.    Roker 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  83 

was  not  prepared  to  furnish  them.  As  he  seldom  met  Silas 
in  a  social  way,  he  really  knew  little  from  personal  observa- 
tion. He  had  heard  a  great  deal,  and  could  if  he  chose  have 
made,  at  second  hand,  some  rather  unpalatable  revelations. 
But  this  was  no.  part  of  his  programme.  He  told  a  lie  by 
telling  only  part  of  the  truth. 

"  Really,  I  have  never  seen  anything  amiss  in  Mr.  Silas. 
He  is  a  young  man  with  an  uncommon  appreciation  of  enjoy- 
ment. He  loves  pleasure.  Occasionally,  perhaps,  he  takes 
more  wine,  for  example,  than  is  necessary.  JJut  then  wealthy 
young  men  all  do  that  and  get  over  it  later.  I  surely  think 
you  give  these  things  undue  importance.  Mr.  Silas  is  young 
yet."  Ingledee  felt  relieved.  He  knew  Roker  to  be  a  man 
of  good  habits  and  sound  judgment,  a  man  whose  opinion 
was  worth  something. 

"  Thank  you,  Roker,  for  saying  so.  I'm  glad  to  hear 
you  say  it." 

"  Why  don't  you  pick  him  out  a  good  sensible  wife.  She 
would  furnish  the  necessary  social  ballast  to  steady  him  up." 

"  I  should  prefer  him,  for  her  sake,  to  steady  up  first." 

"  By  the  way,  I  thought  he  was  considerably  interested 
in  a  voung  lady  the  night  of  your  ball." 

"  To  whom  do  you  refer?" 

«  Miss  Alice  Norwell." 

"  She  is  a  fine  girl." 

"  And  will  have  a  cool  million  as  her  share,  I  understand. 
That  isn't  a  bad  thing  in  itself." 

"  Very  well  in  its  way."  Mr.  Ingledee  said  this,  with  the 
tone  of  a  man  who  is  mentally  comparing  the  heir,  possess- 
ing forty  millions,  with  the  poor  girl  who  would  haye  only 
one  million.     "  She  is  an  uncommonly  fine  girl." 

"She  possesses  more  discretion,  I  think,  than  her  brother 
Tom." 

«  Possibly,  yes,  but  I  think  people  hardly  give  Tom  Nor- 
well credit  for  all  there  is  in  him.  He  is  impulsive,  I  grant, 
but  he  is  evei'y  inch  a  man." 

"  I  grant  his  good  intentions,  but,  somehow,  he  never 
seemed  to  me  as  a  man  of  thoroughly  balanced  character." 

Roker  had  at  last  learned  what  he  set  out  to  learn.  In  a 
case  of  prospective  son-in-law,  Tom  Norwell  would  probably 
lead  Horace  Roker  so  far  as  the  father  was  concerned.  Rok- 
er's  policy  was  to  lay  serious  but  insidious  siege  to  the  head 
of  the  house,  and  meantime  establish  so  far  as  practical,  friend- 


84  AN    IROX    CROWN. 

ly  relations  with  the  daughter.  His  chances  would  grow 
with  Silas'  growing  dissipation  and  uselessness.  Should  the 
son  become  a  miserable,  worthless  wreck  as  seemed  probable, 
the  cool-headed  business  man  who  had  already  learned  Wall 
street  would  win  the  prize  over  the  thoughtless  Tom  Nor- 
well,  who  was  only  a  good  fellow.  In  his  scheme  of  love, 
dollars  outweighed  sighs.  It  was  about  time  to  depart.  On 
rising,  Ingledee  clasped  Roker's  hand  cordially,  and  said: 

"I  know  you  are  willing  to  help  me  in  this  matter.  Ad- 
vise the  boy  whenever  you  can  without  making  it  too  ap- 
parent. We  all  value  your  judgment  highly.  Help  me. 
Good-night." 

«  Good-night." 

One  walked  out  under  the  twinkling  stars,  trusting  his 
fellow-man,  and  believing  he  had  a  faithful  ally.  The  other, 
though  he  had  never  by  overt  act  wronged  any  one  of  a 
penny,  walked  forth  a  heartless  villain. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MR.     PIPE     MALLEY     SEEKS     A     SITUATION     FOR     HIS     TWIN 
BROTHER    QUILL,  AND  THE  MISSES  INGLEDEE  AND  SNICK- 
ER MAKE  A  CALL  IN  AN  UNFASHIONABLE  STREET  WHERE 
A  SERIOUS  ACCIDENT  IS  HAPPILY  AVERTED. 

It  is  an  afternoon  of  late  October  in  the  peculiar  Indian 
summer.  The  landscape  is  veiled  in  a  thin,  transparent,  blue 
vapor,  resembling  smoke.  There  is  a  delicious  balminess  in 
the  air,  without  the  sultriness  that  produces  languor.  All 
nature  assumes  a  romantic  aspect  of  serene  loveliness.  In  the 
city  this  is  marred  by  the  bustle  of  business,  and  the  black 
smoke  of  thousands  of  chimneys,  but  nothing  surpasses  the 
loveliness  of  such  weather  in  the  country.  There  the  mind 
unconsciously  attunes  itself  in  accord  with  nature.  Care  is 
forgotten,  and  for  a  brief  spell  the  elastic  spirit  springs  above 
the  tame  routine  of  life.  The  dullest  soul  is  touched  by  nobler 
impulses,  though  he  may  not  realize,  the  source  of  the  beauty 
around  him.  He  is  happy.  The  person  who  has  a  keen 
appreciation  of  the  beautiful,  is  in  a  state  of  constant  delight- 


c  AN    IRON    CROWN.  85 

ful  enjoyment.  Simply  to  live  is  a  luxury.  Poets  praise  the 
skies  of  sunny  Italy;  but  he  who  has  never  drank  deep 
draughts  of  brimming^  satisfiiction  'mid  the  prodigal  beauties 
of  Indian  summer,  has  missed  the  sweetest  pleasure  in  life. 

The  forests  of  oak,  ash,  elm  and  maple  are  gorgeous  in 
flaming  scarlet,  purple,  and  gold.  The  reddening  leaves  of 
the  sumach  illuminate  the  undergrowth,  while  its  darker 
tufts  stand  like  sentinels  above  the  foliage  in  the  hedgerows. 
Here  and  there  by  streams  and  the  edges  of  fields  the  giant 
shag-bark  hickory  is  seen  with  unnumbered  splints  of  flinty 
bark  curled  in  confusion  from  its  stately  trunk.  This  magnifi- 
cent tree,  whose  species  is  the  emblem  of  a  great  political 
party,  is  very  dear  to  young  America,  regardless  of  party.  Its 
delicious  nuts  are  one  of  the  choicest  contributions  to  the 
amusements  of  the  long  vvniter  evenings  in  the  country.  In  its 
vicinity  may  be  found  the  vivacious  gray  squirrel  with  his 
plume-like  tail  arched  over  his  back,  while  he  squats  upright 
on  his  hind  legs,  and  dexterously  nibbles  a  nut  held  in  his  foie 
paws.  His  every  movement  is  the  very  essence  of  grace  and 
beauty.  When  alarmed  he  scuttles  into  his  hole  in  a  tree, 
firing  oflTas  he  goes  a  vollev  of  comical  little  yelps,  kuk-kuk- 
kuk-kuk-kuk,  somewhat  resembling  the  quack  of  a  duCk  in 
articulation,  but  with  a  different  and  not  unmelodious  tone.  He 
begins  his  musical  performance  slowly  and  increases  its  rapid- 
ity imtil  the  quacks  are  very  rapid  or  undistinguishable,  ac- 
cording to  the  degree  of  his  alarm.  Sly  rascal,  his  climbing 
powers  give  him  the  advantage  over  his  biped  rival,  the 
school  boy. 

The  stately  walnut-tree  showers  on  the  grass,  and  leaves 
its  luscious-looking  globes  of  a  bright  gold  which  tempt  the 
eye  like  a  rare  tropical  fruit.  Their  intensely  bitter  rind  is 
their  safety,  for  Mr.  Squirrel  takes  them  only  when  there  is 
nothing  better.  In  the  rich  land  by  the  streams  is  a  small 
tree  with  a  smooth,  almost  silvery  bark.  Its  long,  glossy, 
green  leaf  is  now  the  color  of  gold.  Sparingly  on  its  branches 
hangs  a  large  clustered  fruit,  long,  and  of  ample  dimensions, 
which  is  slowly  turning  to  the  same  attractive  color.  It  is 
the  luscious  pawpaw  whose  custard  like  puljo  is  the  delight  of 
those  who  have  learned  to  relish  it,  the  scorn  of  those  who 
have  not. 

In  the  distance  may  be  heard  all  day  long  the  busy  rattle 
of  a  threshing-machine.  Crows  caw  lazily  from  the  decayed 
top  of  a  tall  oak,  or  wing  their  heavy  flight  in   long   black 


86  AN    IRON    CROWN.  • 

lines.  The  vegetable  world  proclaims  the  death  of  a  season, 
but  animated  nature  is  active.  The  charms  of  Indian  summer 
are  multitudinous.  Italy  may  please  with  a  dreamful  sense  of 
perfect  ease.  America,  in  this  best  of  all  seasons,  thrills  with 
an  ecstasy  of  full-waking  delights  in  its  active,  changeful 
beauty.  Yet  the  city  visitor  to  the  country  knows  nothing  of 
all  this,  for  he  has  returned  to  his  grime  and  smoke  before  it 
began. 

On  such  a  day  Garmand,  Wilson  and  Tom  Norwell  met 
in  Hickley's  office.  Wilson,  despairing  of  finding  suitable 
employment  in  New  York  at  present,  intended  to  start  for  the 
West,  where  he  had  friends.  There  he  had  secured  a  position 
as  schoolteacher,  and  had  come  to  bid  Hickley  good-bye. 
The  conversation  turned  on  the  all-absorbing  topic  of  the  ap- 
proaching election.  The  candidacy  of  the  Hon.  Dave  Saw- 
der was  mentioned  in  due  time,  when  Norwell  remarked: 

"  Sawder  is  not  a  fit  man  to  represent  this  district  or  any 
other  in  Congress." 

"  Why  not?"  asked  Hickley. 

"  His  record  is  not  good.  He  has  had  too  much  to  do 
with  the  railroad  legislation  of  the  past  few  years." 

"Those  reports  were  started  by  his  enemies  possibly,"  re- 
plied Hickley. 

"  That  may  be,  but  an  enemy  may  get  at  the  truth  in  such 
cases  much  quicker  than  a  friend.  For  my  part,  I  think  if 
we  knew  the  truth  about  Sawder's  public  record  we  should 
find  him  spotted  to  the  core  with  bribery,  more  or  less  direct, 
inside  speculation,  and,  in  short,  all  sorts  of  official  venality." 
Hickley  winced  under  this  scathing  denunciation  of  Sawder 
and  his  methods,  but  being  a  politician  he  was  obliged  to 
make  black  appear  white,  if  possible. 

"  Norwell,  you  are  prejudiced  against  Sawder.  The 
American  people  everywhere  recognize  him  as  a  man  of 
great  ability." 

"  I'm   not  disputing  his  ability." 

"  You  read  the  '  Daily  Cens^ire.'  That  organ  is  always 
abusing  somebody.  Just  now  they  are  making  a  violent 
attack  upon  Sawder.  The  editor  of  the  '  Censure  '  wanted 
his  brother  placed  in  a  soft  spot  in  the  Custom  House.  Saw- 
der wanted  another  fellow  to  have  it  and  he  got  it.  That 
accounts  for  such  a  torrent  of  editorial  indignation  and  expos- 
ure. Two  years  ago,  when  Sawder  was  up  for  renomina- 
tion,  the  same  charges  were  made,  and  the  '  Censure  '  proved 


AN    IRON   CROWN.  87 

them,  to  its  own  satisfaction  at  least,  to  be  utterly  false  and 
malicious.     Now  what  is  their  opinion  worth?" 

"  Hickley,  I  have  opinions  of  my  own  derived  from  other 
sources." 

"Granting  that  Sawder  may  have  used  his  official  knowl. 
edge  in  his  own  interest  to  make  a  little  money,  it  is  not 
claimed  that  he  ever  swindled  the  government,  or  anybody 
else,  in  fact.  He  is  an  able  man.  You  can't  afford  to  bolt 
him  just  now  in  this  crisis  of  the  party."  The  party  was 
always  in  a  crisis  when  bolters  were  to  be  whipped  into  the 
traces.  Just  now  the  party  whip  was  being  flourished  vigo- 
rously on  very  hand.  Voters  were  provided  with  backs,  and 
the  parly  with  a  whip.  It  was  plain  that  nature  intended 
them  to  go  together. 

"I've  never  said  I  shouldn't  vote  for  him." 

"  Why,"  said  Wilson,  "you  certainly  will  not  vote  for  a 
man  whom  you  believe  to  be  unfiiithful  to  his  official  tiust?" 

"  That  must  be  a  very  interesting  position  from  a  moral 
standpoint,  you  know,"  Garmand  allowed. 

"  Oh,  politics  and  morals  have  nothing  to  do  with  each 
other,"  rejoined  Tom,  with  a  laugh. 

"  We  must  admit  that  the  other  party  has  still  less  to 
recommend  it,"  urged  Hickley. 

"  Would  you  vote  for  a  thief,"  asked  Wilson,  "  because  he 
wore  your  party  label?" 

"  This  is  not  a  parallel  case."  Hickley  felt  that  his  posi- 
tion was  untenable;  but  he  must  do  the  work  assigned  him, 
or  lose  the  favor  of  Sawder  and  Ophir.  In  the  first  place  he 
tried  to  convince  himself  that  nothing  had  ever  been  urged 
against  Sawder  which  that  gentleman  had  not  explained. 
Some  of  these  explanations  were  very  tardy,  and  his  enemies 
said  they  were  very  flimsy,  but  they  were  conclusive  to  the 
rank  and  file  of  his  party,  who  were  anxious  to  believe. 
Then  his  opponent,  though  personally  a  very  good  man,  rep- 
resented an  atrociously  bad  party,  at  least  in  the  estimation  of 
its  opponents.     It  was  a  choice  of  two  evils. 

"  In  other  words,"  said  Wilson,  "  stealing  is  to  be  done, 
and  you  prefer  your  party  should  do  it."  Wilson's  remark 
described  in  brief  how  tightly  the  party  collar  is  riveted  on 
the  neck  of  the  average  American  citizen.  By  that  collar  he 
may  be  led  to  the  very  brink  of  the  most  dangerous  political 
chasm.     Hicklev  laughed  heartily: 

"  Pshaw,  Wilson,  don't  talk  of  steahng.    That  has  always 


88  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

been  going  on  in  government  ever  since  there  were  govern- 
ments, Tiiere  must  be  some  of  it,  no  matter  wlio  is  in  or 
who  is  out." 

"And,"  added  Tom,  "if  the  otlier  fellows  ever  get  in  they 
will  empty  the  treasury,  and  then  sell  the  capitol  for  tomb- 
stones." 

"  Marble,  is  it?"  queried  Garmand. 

«  Yes." 

"'Pon  my  soul,  a  novel  idea!  Why  hasn't  it  been  tried 
before?"     A  hearty  laugh  ensued. 

"  Perhaps  nobody  thought  it  worth  while  to  steal  a  tomb- 
stone," reflected  Hickley.  "  The  people  furnish  that  free  for 
political  graves." 

"  Speaking  of  stealing  reminds  me  that  I  read  last  (lost) 
night  about  some  senator  or  chap  of  that  kind,  you  know, 
trying  to  encroach  on  an  Indian's  reserve.  Deuced  funny 
idea  that,  of  stealing  a  fellow's  reserve,  for  if  he  was  so  very 
reserved,  you  know,  how  could  the  other  fellow  approach 
him?     Now  I  cawn't  quite  see  that." 

"  Oh,  a  politician  can  approach  an^'thing,"  replied  Nor- 
well.  "  He  can  break  through  any  reserve,  particularly  the 
Indian's,  "  though  that  is  the  biggest  thing  about  the  red 
man." 

"  But  I  think  it  very  unfair  to  intrude  on  a  man  in  that 
way  if  he  chooses  to  cultivate  a  reserve." 

"  But  the  Indian  seldom  cultivates  his  reserve,"  added 
Wilson  drily. 

*'  Oh,  I  see,  it  is  natural.  Well,  it  ought  to  be  respected 
anyhow." 

The  subject  of  Indians  very  naturally  led  to  the  subject 
of  hunting.  Garmand  remaiked  that  he  supposed  hunting 
formed  an  important  pastime  of  the  inhabitants  in  the  unex- 
plored forests  of  the  interior. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  Wilson,  "  everybody  hunts  in  Amer- 
ica." He  said  this  in  a  matter-of-fact,  surprised  tone,  just  as 
he  would  have  replied  had  he  been  asked  if  Americans 
usually  wore  shoes. 

"A  sort  of  national  sport,  eh?  peculiar  to" — he  nearly 
said  barbarians,  but  prudently  tacked  just  in  time  and  added, 
— "  peculiar  to  Americans,  but  in  Europe  confined  to  the 
nobility.  I've  read  of  some  of  these  great  hunts  where  the 
people  assemble  for  miles  around  and  drive  in  the  game." 
The  account  which  Garmand  had  read  was  a  burlesque  on  a 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  89 

hunt  by  an  American  newspaper  writer.  This  waif  from 
the  vast  fund  of  border  humor  had  made  its  way  across  the 
Atlantic,  where  it  had  been  reprinted,  and  assumed  all  the 
dignity  of  history.  "  In  the  interior  districts  they  form  a  cir- 
cle of  miles  in  extent,  you  know,  and  drive  in  bears,  raccoons, 
buffalo,  opossums  and  other  beasts  of  prey.  It  must  be 
grand  sport.  I  mean  to  join  such  a  hunt  myself  before  I 
return  to — aw,  Europe.  I  suppose  the  peasantry  do  the  driv- 
ing, and  the  upper  closses  have  the  first  chawnce  at  the  shoot- 
ing and  dividing  the  game.  That  is  the  case,  you  know,  the 
world  over,  and  is  a  very  proper  and  simple  arrangement." 
The  boys  were  willing  to  allow  Garmand  so  cheap  a  pleasure 
as  a  circular  hunt,  and  took  the  cue  readily  from  the  infor- 
mation he  volunteered. 

"  Yes,  that  is  about  the  case  here.  The  peasantry  collect 
for  miles,  armed  with  such  rude  weapons  as  they  possess, 
usually  rifles  and  Arkansaw  toothpicks,"  replied  Wilson. 

"  Toothpicks !  Aw,  they  end  the  day  with  a  feast,  I 
infer?" 

"  Mr.  Garmand,  you  anticipate  so  often  that  I  really  have 
a  suspicion  that  you  know  all  this  already,  and  could  inform 
us  natives  concerning  many  things." 

Garmand  hastily  disclaimed  any  such  intention,  and  begged 
that  the  "  chawming  narration"  might  proceed,  as  he  would 
like  to  pick  up  a  few  additional  points  of  interest. 

"As  I  was  saying,  the  peasantry  form  a  circle  several 
miles  in  diameter,  and  gradually  closing  in,  frighten  the  game 
toward  the  center.     They  call  this  beating  around  the  bush." 

"  'Pon  my  soul,  how  funny.  Now,  in  England,  beating 
around  the  bush  is  about  the  same  thing  as  going  round  to 
the  back  part  of  the  house  and  climbing  in  at  the  window 
when  you  might  walk  in  at  the  front  door." 

"  That  may  be  as  you  say,"  replied  Wilson,  "but  in  this 
country  it  means  just  what  I  have  told  you.  Well,  the  peo- 
ple advance,  shouting,  blowing  horns  and  discoursing  iiiusic 
on  the  horse  fiddle." 

"Horse  fiddle!  Is  that  a  species  of  music  for  the  horse 
guards.?  Really,  you  know — I  cawn't  quite  locate  that  in- 
strument." 

"  Its  chief  use  is  in  charivari  orchestra.  It  has  nothing 
to  do  with  a  horse,  as  you  infer.  It  is  a  peculiar  combination 
of  boards  and  hickory  springs,  which  discourses  soul-stirring 
music,  that  may  be  heard  at  a  distance  of  five  miles." 


90  AN    IRON   CROWN. 

"  Suitable  for  open  air  concerts?" 

"  Tliat's  the  idea  exactly.  Well,  as  the  men  tramp 
through  the  woods  they  beat  up  each  bush  with  their  Arkan- 
saw  toothpicks." 

"Are  these  toothpicks  so  very  large?" 

"  They  are  sometimes  nearly  two  feet  long." 

"  What — oh,  I  see.  A  Yankee  joke;  well  I  shall  not  be 
ungenerous  enough  to  disallow  the  Yankee's  privilege  in 
having  his  joke,  though  it  is  about  a  toothpick  two  feet  long. 
Reallv,  I'd  never  acknowledge  such  a  toothpick  if  I  were  an 
American,  for  it  implies   a   very   liberal   mouth,  you  know." 

"  I  admit  the  impeachment,  Mr.  Garmand,"  replied  Wil- 
son. "  I  see  you  draw  the  line  very  accurately  between  fact 
and  fiction.  1  shall  hereafter  be  very  guarded  in  my  state- 
ments. As  I  was  saying,  they  beat  up  the  bushes  and  out 
jump  the  animals  and  flee." 

"  Ts  game  so  very  plenty?" 

"Oh,  yes;  in  raspberry  time  nearly  every  bush  conceals  a 
gormandizing;  'possum  or  a  voracious  bear,  come  to  feed  on 
the  tempting  fruit.  As  they  near  the  inner  circle  the  scene  is 
indescribable.  All  is  wild  confusion,  in  which  ma}'^  be  dis- 
tinguished the  piercing  notes  of  the  ground  hog,  the  rapid 
flight  of  the  deer,  the  plaintive  cries  of  the  alarmed  bear,  the 
angrv  snort  of  the  fierce  opossum,  and  the  weird  wail  of  the 
melancholy  coon.  Once  seen  it  is  a  sight  never  to  be  for- 
gotten." 

"  I  dare  say.  Then  the  nobility  shoot  the  game,  you 
say?" 

"  For  once  you  are  in  a  slight  error,"  remarked  Wilson, 
half  apologetically,  half  confidentially.  "  In  this  country  we 
have  an  absurd  law,  which  forbids  the  granting  of  patents  of 
nobility.  But  the  people  recognize  a  nobility,  nevertheless, 
which  is  pretty  well  defined  by  certain  titles  derived  from  the 
simple  but  poetical  language  of  the  aborigines,  such  as  Horn- 
soggier,  Corncraker,Chieftooter,  etc.  They  are  distinguished 
by  a  very  simple  device.  Their  caps  are  made  of  coon  skin; 
from  the  cap  of  a  Hornsoggler  dangles  one  coon's  tail;  from 
that  of  a  Corncracker  two  coons'  tails,  while  a  Chieftooter  is 
ornamented  by  three  coons'  tails." 

At  this  point  the  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the 
opening  of  the  outer  door.  A  visitor  entered  who  proved  on 
nearer  inspection  to  be  Pipe  Malley.  He  stepped  confidently 
forward  and  inquired   for  the  "  boss."     Hickley   tacitly  ad- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  91 

mitted  that  he  was  the  person  in  question,  by  inquiring  Pipe's 
wants. 

"  Be  you  wantin'  a  office  boy,"  said  Pipe,  with  the  same 
awkward  twisting  bow  and  the  same  anguhir  scrape  of  his 
right  boot,  the  toe  of  which  yawned  a  little  more  than  when 
we  last  saw  him. 

"  I  hardly  think  so,"  replied  Hickley.  He  had  one  lazy, 
noisy  cub  already  to  slide  down  the  iianisters  and  make  life 
miserable  for  his  employer  and  the  adjoining  tenants. 

"  He's  a  bang-up  boy,  mister." 

"  Oh,  it  isn't  yourself,  then?"  said  Hickley,  scanning  him 
curiously. 

"  Naw,  it's  my  brother  Quill.     Fm  twins." 

"  Indeed!  You  have  a  place  for  yourself?"  Pipe  had  ju- 
diciously left  his  kit  for  blacking  boots  outside  with  Quill. 

"  Oh,  I  kin  git  along.  Don't  yer  min'  me.  I  kin  pick  up 
a  job  on  the  fly.  But  Quill  is  sort  o'  modest  like,  an'  can't 
rough  it.  He'll  never  git  along  in  the  shine  an'  paper  business. 
There's  too  much  composition.      Business  is  all  busted  up." 

"  Too  much  composition?"  queried  Hickley,  with  a  smile. 

"  Yes,  too  many  fellers  rushin'  into  business,  that  makes 
composition  active."  As  a  new  boy  who  rashly  competes  on/ 
forbidden  ground  is  usually  subjected  to  a  mellowing  process 
under  the  blows  of  half  a  dozen  bootblacks'  kits,  wielded 
by  as  many  vigorous  arms,  composition  ma}'^  indeed  be  termed 
active. 

"  1  need  no  boy  at  present,  young  man." 

"  Say,  mister,"  urged  Pipe,  "  I  kin  give  boss  references." 
He  added,  confidentially,  "  Pve  inflooence,  so  I  has."  Hick- 
ley could  not  restrain  a  laugh.  Here  was  a  surprise;  the 
word  influence,  so  potent  a  talisman  in  politics,  had  descended 
at  last  to  street  gamins. 

"Oh,  you  kin  laugh,  mister,  all  yer  want  ter.  'Spect  it 
does  sound  funny.  I  hain't  no  papers  to  show,  but  Pve  a 
friend  that's  no  slouch,  an'  one  that  won't  go  back  on  a  feller, 
nuther." 

"  That  Is  the  sort  of  friend  to  have." 

"  Bet  yer  life  it  is."  At  this  moment  Tom  Norwell,  Wil- 
son and  (yarmand  emerged  from  the  inner  office.  '•'-He  knows 
her,  too,"  continued  Pipe. 

"Who  knows  her?"  asked  Hickley. 

"  Why,  that  tall  feller,  with  light  hair,"  Pipe  continued, 
pointing  to  Norwell. 


92  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Tom,  some  of  your  friends,  it  seems." 

*'  'Pon  my  word,  that  cawn't  be.  He  seems  to  belong  to 
— to  the  lower  closses,  I  should  say,"  and  Garmand  eyed  him 
curiously  with  his  glass. 

"  Don't  you  know  me,  Mr.  Norwell,"  said  Pipe,  Jiothing 
daunted.  "  We  was  interduced  at  Ingledee's.  1  had  a  in- 
vite there  an'  you  dropped  in." 

There  was  an  explosion  of  laughter  at  Tom's  expense, 
who  was  pretending  he  could  not^think  where  and  when  he 
had  seen  Pipe,  and  did  not  care  to  have  his  lady  friends  dis- 
cussed publicly  by' bootblacks. 

"  What  is  your  name,  my  boy?"  asked  Tom. 

"  Pipe,  Pipe  Malley,  sir,"  answered  the  boy  in  an  injured 
tone,  as  the  catfish  boot  yawed  a  trifle  to  the  right. 

"  Haven't  you  a  brother?" 

"  Yes,  sir.     I'm  twins." 

"  You  mean  that  you  and  he  are  twins." 

«  Ain't  that  wot  I  jes  said?  We're  both  twins,  an'  if  Quill 
is  twins  why  ain't  I,  too  ?"  Pipe's  ideas  of  the  grammatical,  and 
indeed  of  the  social  relations  expressed  by  the  word  twins, 
were  very  hazy. 

"  Fm  awful  sorry,  mister,  you  hain't  no  place  for  Quill. 
Fve  looked  round  till  I'm  dead  sick  of  it.  I  never  seed  times 
so  hard.  Quill  can't  sneak  onto  a  job,  I  guess,  at  all.  No 
use  talkin',  mother  an'  me  '11  have  to  raise  that  boy." 

"  You'll  strike  something  for  him,"  said  Tom,  encour- 
agingly. 

"  'Spect  I  may,  sometime.  Must  be  a  hustlin',  though," 
and  away  he  went. 

Outside  Quill  was  at  that  moment  executing  a  breakdown 
in  the  hallway,  to  the  great  edification  of  Hickley's  office  boy 
and  two  or  three  other  satellites  of  the  law  in  a  similar  hum- 
ble capacity. 

"  Stop  that  racket.  Hain't  yer  ashamed  o'  yerself,  givin' 
yerself  away  like  that  when  I'm  tryin'  to  get  yer  a  sitiwa- 
tion.  Some  people  don't  care  a  straw  wot  a  buddy  does  fur 
'em." 

"  I  wan't  a  doin'  nothin'.  Pipe,"  remonstrated  Quill,  rather 
mildly. 

"  Oh,  you  wusn't,  eh?  Now  you  git  an'  sell  the  rest  o' 
them  Heralses,  or  I'll  maul  yer."  Quill  got  without  argu- 
ment. 

Pipe  wended  his  way  toward  home,  trying  to  pick  up  a 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  93 

little  business  on  the  way.  Mrs.  Malley  lived  in  a  narrow, 
dirty,  rickety  street  east  of  the  Bowery,  and  not  far  from  that 
celebrated  thoroughfare.  She  had  apartments,  if  two  crazy 
little  rooms  may  be  dignified  by  that  term, in  a  dilapidated  three- 
story  tenement  house  of  very  ancient  architecture.  The  rot- 
ten brick  walls  were  so  cracked,  twisted  and  warped  that  the 
whole  structure  was  in  imminent  danger  of  tumbling  into  the 
street.  It  would  have  been  condemned  long  ago  by  the  board 
of  health  as  dangerous  and  unfit  for  human  habitation  if  the 
owner  had  not  been  an  alderman  for  years.  He  was  a  pro- 
fessional alderman,  and  the  reader  who  has  ever  resided  for  a 
term  of  years  in  a  great  city  will  know  at  once  what  that 
means.  It  means  poverty  and  trickery  to  begin  on,  official 
corruption,  fine  houses,  fine  clothes,  fine  dinners  to  end  on. 
No  doubt  there  aie  honest  men  among  aldermen,  just  as  occa- 
sionally an  honest  man  has  the  misfortune  to  get  into  the  pen- 
itentiary. It  is  said  that  the  devil  is  not  so  black  as  he  is 
painted,  and  perhaps  it  would  only  be  fair  to  give  the  pro- 
fessional alderman  the  benefit  of  the  same  doubt. 

The  rickety  wooden-staii"s  of  this  tenement-house  were  so 
worn,  decayed,  and  eaten  through  by  the  continual  tramping  of 
feet  for  years,  that  to  ascend  them  in  the  dark  was  an  under- 
taking fu^  as  dangerous  as  the  ascent  of  the  pyramids.  In 
the  narrow  street  might  be  seen  at  all  times  of  day  or  even- 
ing blear-eyed,  slatternly  women,  scantily-clad,  sickly-looking 
children,  and  besotted,  shambling  creatures  to  whom  the  term 
man  must  be  applied,  because  there  is  no  other  name  for  them, 
and  because  it  would  be  a  gross  libel  on  dumb  creatures  to 
call  them  brutes.  Noise,  brawling  and  obscenity  prevailed 
day  and  night,  especially  by  night.  Mrs.  Malley  had  in  this 
unpromising  locality  undertaken  the  grave  responsibility  of 
"raising"  twins,  her  husband  having  died  years  ago.  She 
was  an  aristocrat  among  the  miserable  tenants  of  this  local- 
ity, for  her  lodgings  were  on  the  ground  floor.  Besides,  as 
an  adjunct  to  her  laundry  business,  she  had  the  use  of  a  mis- 
erable, little  dirty  patch  of  back  yard  to  which  the  less  for- 
tunate were  denied  access. 

Pipe  was  sauntering  leisurely  along,  whistling  a  popular 
campaign  air,  when  he  spied  two  ladies  driving  into  the  other 
end  of  the  street.  Further  examination  revealed  the  pony 
and  phaeton  of  Miss  Chetta  Ingledee,  who  was  out  driving 
with  her  friend,  Miss  Snicker.  Pipe  saw  them  approaching, 
and  when  he  discovered  indications  that  they  intended  to  stop 


94 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


he  flew  into  the  house  in  breathless  haste  to  inform  his  moth- 
er. Tliat  female  was  in  the  rear  room,  with  sleeves  rolled  up 
and  hands  in  the  wash-tub.  Pipe's  excitement  was  so  great 
that  he  was  for  a  few  seconds  unable  to  utter  a  word.  Mrs. 
Malley  had  seen  him  several  times  before  in  this  condition, 
which  had  been  occasioned  by  his  choking  when  a  rapid  con- 
sumption of  food  was  imperatively  demanded,  lest  Quill 
should  get  more  than  his  share.  Pipe's  organs  of  deglutition 
were  slightly  defective  owing  to  some  fault  of  nature,  while 
Quill's  were  abnormally  vigorous.  Mrs.  Malley's  remedy 
was  a  sound  shaking.  She  seized  Pipe  without  ceremony  by 
the  collar,  and  gave  him  such  an  exceedingly  lively  shaking 
that  his  face  grew  scarlet  in  a  short  time. 

"  Can  I  teach  ye  no  manners.^"  (another  shake).  "What's 
the  use  of  eatin'  like  a  pig?"  (more  shaking).  "  Ye  haven't 
the  throat  of  a  allergater  to  swally  stuff  in  chunks"  (another 
shake). 

"  Lem'me  go,  I  say." 

"Is  it  out?" 

«  VVot's  the  matter  with  yer?  I  wasn't  swallern'  any- 
thing,"said  Pipe  indignantly,  as  he  wiped  soapsuds  from  his 
eyes  and  face.     "  Yer  a  little  too  suddint." 

"What  ails  ye,  Pipey  honey?"  said  Mrs.  Malley  sooth- 
ingly- 

"  Nothin' !  I  come  to  tell  yer  my  Sunday-school  teacher  is 

comin'  to  visit  us." 

"Yer  don't  say,  Pipe!  Is  she  truly?  Don't  tell  your 
mother  a  story." 

"  She's  jist  druv  into  the  upper  end  of  the  street." 
Mrs.  Malley  rushed  into  the  front  "parlor,"  and,  sure 
enough,  a  phaeton  stood  in  front  of  the  house.  The  two 
young  ladies  in  it  were  evidently  inquiring  of  some  children 
the  whereabouts  of  some  person  they  wished  to  see.  ISIrs* 
Malley  now  in  turn  fell  into  a  condition  of  extreme  excite- 
ment. Here  was  unexpected  company  of  a  very  high  order, 
and  everything  in  confusion.  But  Mrs.  Malley  was  a  captain, 
equal  to  such  a  surprise.  She  ordered  Pipe  to  gather  up  the 
soiled  linen  which  strewed  the  floor,  together  with  old  news- 
papers in  which  the  articles  had  been  wrapped.  These  were 
hastily  dumped  into  the  back  room.  Mrs.  Malley  seized  a 
broom  and  vigorously  swept  up  the  ashes  round  the  little 
grate.  This  operation  which  had  not  been  performed  for  a 
twelvemonth  from  appearance,  was  done   with  amazing  dis- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  95 

patch  and  accompanied  by  a  cloud  of  dust  and  ashes.  On 
the  narrow  mantel-shelf  was  a  little  clock  flanked  on  either 
side  by  pipes,  belonging  to  Mrs.  Malley,  little  tobacco  sacks 
in  different  stages  of  depletion,  matches,  a  broken  comb 
"done  up"  by  Pipe,  a  little  box  of  spools,  buttons,  etc.,  and 
a  great  deal  of  dirt.  It  was  impossible  to  bring  order  out  of 
this  chaos  in  a  moment.  So  at  one  fell  swoop,  Mrs.  Malley 
brushed  everytliing  but  the  clock  into  her  apron  and  carried 
them  to  the  back  room. 

"  Pipe,  vv here's  the  Bible  the  teacher  give  ye?  Put  that 
on  the  mantel."  The  volume  was  produced  from  a  cupboaid, 
and  Mrs.  Malley  was  in  the  last  stages  of  "  putting  things  to 
rights,"  namely  polishing  with  her  apron  the  only  two  chairs 
of  four,  which,  though  very  decrepit,  were  able  for  duty.  In 
the  prevailing  excitement  she  had  forgotten  to  turn  down  her 
sleeves  till  reminded  by  Pipe: 

"  Mother,  mother,  unroll  them  sleeves  down."  There 
was  a  knocking  at  the  door,  and  the  bustle  within  subsided 
instantly  into  a  dignified  decorum.  Mrs.  Malley  called  out, 
"Come  in,"  but  after  a  pause  the  knock  was  repeated.  "Come 
in"  was  the  answer  this  time,  loud  enough  to  be  heard  in  the 
street.  In  the  society  in  which  Mrs.  Malley  moved,  it  was 
not  customary  to  open  the  door  for  a  visitor.  The  genteel 
thing  was  to  await  him  within  in  dignified  expectation.  Miss 
Ingledee  opened  the  door  and  entered,  followed  by  Harrie 
Snicker.  Mrs.  Malley,  with  the  cordiality  which  is  so  marked 
a  characteristic  of  her  race,  greeted  her  visitors  with  a  hearty 
shake  of  the  hand.  Her  language  had  in  it  so  little  of  the 
brogue  of  the  Emerald  Isle  as  to  be  scarcely  noticeable. 

"How  do  ye  do,  Miss  Ingledee  ?  I'm  real  glad  ye've  called." 

"  I'm  very  well,  thank  you.  This  is  my  friend,  Miss 
Snicker,  Mrs.  Malley." 

The  big  red  hand  of  Mrs.  Malley  reached  out  and  grasped 
heartily  the  delicate  right  hand  of  Miss  Snicker,  to  the  great 
surprise  of  that  young  lady.  It  was  as  yielding  and  expres- 
sionless as  pie  dough,  and  when  released  by  Mrs.  Malley  fell 
limp  by  the  owner's  side;  Miss  Snicker's  little  nose,  however, 
protested  slightly  against  the  indignity  put  upon  her  hand  by 
seeking  a  loftier  altitude. 

"  It's  not  every  day  I  has  company,  an'  things  may  be  a 
trifle  out  o'  order.  Ye  can't  always  have  things  as  trig  as  a 
tay  rose,"  said  the  hostess,  glancing  around  her  shabby  little 
room  apologetically. 


96  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Indeed,  you  look  very  cosy  here,  Mrs.  Malley." 

"  We  get  along,  somehow.  It's  a  hard  scrabble  for  the 
poor,  ma'am,  an'  God  bless  ye  ladies  for  remembering  them. 
Won't  ye  be  seated,  ladies?" 

The  visitors  excused  themselves  on  the  ground  that  they 
had  not  time  to  tarry.  It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  the  million- 
aire may  be  so  exceedingly  busy  doing  nothing  as  to  find 
himself  crowded  for  time,  the  same  as  a  poor  man.  During 
these  preliminaries  of  convei'sation  Pipe  had  been  in  the  back 
room.  The  boldest  boys  among  their  companions  are  often 
the  most  bashful  at  home.  The  boy  who  will  lead  a  raid  on 
a  melon  patch,  or  aspire  to  be  the  hero  of  the  Fourth  of  July 
by  climbing  a  greased  pole  before  a  thousand  people,  will  slip 
into  the  house  the  back  way,  when  his  mother  has  company. 
When  asked  to  go  into  the  parlor  he  looks  very  much  like  a 
chicken  thief  detected  in  the  act.  Eating  in  company  is  to 
him  a  miserable  delusion.  Though  he  have  the  appetite  of  a 
shark,  as  he  always  does,  he  has  been  known  to  insult  his 
stomach  with  bread  ciusts  and  a  glass  of  stale  water  rather 
than  ask  for  more.  On  the  occasion  of  a  rural  tea  the  old 
ladies  are  so  immersed  in  the  latest  gossip  as  to  forget  all 
about  the  boy  who  is  so  unfortunate  to  eat  with  the  "  com- 
pany." A  second  tea  along  with  the  hired  girl  is  the  result. 
He  is  not  used  to  high  living,  and  the  unusual  spread  is  a 
feast.  He  checks  his  hunger  with  substantials  of  bread,  but- 
ter, potatoes  and  chicken,  washed  down  by  four  cups  of  coffee. 
He  evens  up  with  half  an  apple  pie,  country  apple  pie,  at  that, 
half  a  custard  pie,  and  a  plate  of  rice  pudding.  He  tops  off 
with  two  saucers  of  preserved  peaches,  a  saucer  of  jelly,  all 
the  cream  there  was  left  from  the  first  table — and  a  colic  at 
ten  that  night.  A  tea  is  a  rare  event  for  the  country  boy. 
Pipe  would  have  been  that  sort  of  a  boy,  had  he  lived  in  the 
country.     His  mother  called: 

"  Pipe,  come  in.  Your  teacher  is  here."  The  latter 
information  was  a  piece  of  strategy  by  way  of  apology  for 
his  non-appearence.  Pipe  came  in  sheepishly,  with  Quill  at 
his  heels,  the  latter  having  sold  his  "  Heralses  "  in  time  to  be 
in  at  this  great  social  event.  Chetta  greeted  them  cordially, 
and  somehow  they  felt  at  ease  under  the  influence  of  her 
unaffected,  winning  manner. 

"  How  are  you.  Pipe?     Come  in.  Quill." 

"I'm  all  d  K,"  said  Pipe.  Quill  said  nothing.  Since 
Pipe  was  Mc  twin,  there  seemed  to  be  an  understanding  that 
his  answer  sufficed  for  both. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  97 

"  You  know  I  promised  you  a  call,  boys." 

"  I  was  afeerd  you'd  forgit  it.  This  hain't  as  nice  a  street 
as  them  avenoos."  There  was  a  volume  of  philosophy  in 
Pipe's  simple  remark  which  Chetta  did  not  fail  to  perceive. 

"Pipe,  you  know  I  promised." 

"  So  you  did,  an'  I  guess  you  ain't  the  forgittin'  kind." 
Chetta  smiled,  and  turning  to  her  friend,  said:  "  Harrie,  I 
haven't  introduced  you  yet,  excuse  me.  These  are  Pipe  and 
Quill  Malley,  the  boys  3'ou  have  heard  me  mention  so  often." 
The  boys  made  their  usual  awkward  attempt  at  a  bow,  but 
Miss  Snicker  made  no  sign  of  recognition  whatever  beyond 
a  slightly  increased  elevation  of  her  little  nose,  whose  angle 
with  the  perpendicular  had  been  growing  ever  since  her  arri- 
val. She  eyed  them  with  a  faintly  curious  stare,  as  she  would 
any  other  curiosity  which  she  had  heard  considerable  about. 
It  was  evident  she  saw  nothing  in  the  twins.  They  were 
very  common^  so  was  Mrs.  Malley,  so  were  the  surroundings. 
The  only  uncommon  thing  that  she  could  discover  was  that 
Chetta  Ingledee  should  visit  such  a  place  at  all,  or  ask  her 
friend  to  do  so.     She  inquired: 

"Hadn't  we  better  be  going?" 

"Yes,  I  think  so." 

"  I'm  dreadful  glad  you  took  hold  of  my  boys,"  said  Mrs. 
Malley.  She  meant  the  verb  hold  in  a  figurative  sense.  She 
reserved  the  literal  for  herself.  "  I  couldn't  edicate  them  as 
I'd  like,  for  as  I  said,  it's  a  hard  scrabble  for  the  poor,  and 
close  lit  to  go  to  school  isn't  easy  got,  an'  poor  close  doesn't 
look  well  beside  fine  ones.  They  read  beootiful  in  their 
Bibles,"  she  added  with  pride,  pointing  to  the  lonesome  Tes- 
tament on  the  shelf.  "  Pipe  used  to  have  to  spell  every  word, 
and  sometimes  bit  his  tongue  dreadful  when  vexed.  Now  he 
kin  go  clean  through  a  chapter,  an'  never  open  his  mouth." 
This  was  no  small  compliment,  for  to  "  go  through"  a  chap- 
ter without  moving  the  lips  is  a  triumph  in  the  art  of  silent 
reading  which  many  very  respectable  people  have  never 
achieved.  Mrs.  Malley  was  anxious  that  everything  should 
show  to  the  advantage  of  her  boys  on  this  momentous 
occasion. 

The  reading  of  the  twins,  one  would  infer  from  her 
remarks,  was  chiefly  Biblical.  Facts  compel  an  admission 
that  this  was  not  the  case.  After  learning  to  read,  the  boys, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  became  acquainted  with  that  remark- 
able production   of  literature,  the   dime   novel,  if  such  trash 


^8  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

may  be  called  literature.  They  had  procured  one  highly- 
seasoned  volume  called  "Red-handed  Hank,  or  the  Des- 
perado of  Dead  Man's  Gulch."  Mrs.  Malley's  ideas  of 
family  government  w^ere  exceedingly  liberal.  In  this  respect, 
indeed,  she  w^as  thoroughly  American,  for  there  was  next  to 
no  family  government  in  her  establishment,  except  on  rare 
occasions  of  flagrant  misdemeanor.  She  had  her  reasons  for 
this  state  of  affairs  in  the  fact  that  her  family  needed  little 
government;  "  for  sure  the  boys  couldn't  injure  anything  but 
theirselves,  an'  they  might  look  out  for  that." 

On  one  point  she  was  particular:  they  must  be  in  bed  at 
ten  o'clock.  Sound  rest  she  found  indispensable  to  her  ardu- 
ous labor  at  the  wash-tub.  The  twins  thought  night  was  the 
best  time  for  literary  diversion.  Probably  it  added  a  weird 
eifect  to  the  gore  which  figuratively  streaked  the  pages  of 
"  Red-handed  Hank."  Pipe  soon  hit  on  a  plan  to  circum- 
vent the  old  lady.  After  she  was  sound  asleep,  the  twins 
stole  from  their  bed,  kindled  a  little  fire  in  the  grate,  and, 
prone  on  their  stomachs,  absorbed  the  thrilling  story  of  "Red- 
handed  Hank."  The  fire  was  carefully  fed  by  one  boy, 
while  the  other  read.  The  fuel  was  thin  slips  of  cannel  coal 
stolen  from  a  neighboring  coal  yard.  They  read  night  about. 
Silent  reading  was  here  a  necessity,  and  thus  it  was  achieved. 
Truly  the  pursuit  of  literature  is  often  attended  with  great 
difficulties. 

Miss  Harrie  Snicker  was  growing  impatient  at  the  length 
to  which  the  visit  was  stretching  itself  out.  Chetta,  seeing 
this,  remarked : 

"  Really,  we  must  be  going,  Mrs.  Malley." 

The  hostess  seemed  uneasy.  After  some  hesitation  she 
said :  "  I'd  invite  you  to  tay,  ladies,  if  I  was  a  little  better 
fixed.     But  things  is  a  little  unhandy  like  just  now." 

With  thanks  Chetta  bade  them  a  kind  good-day,  and  the 
visitors  took  their  leave.  The  Malleys  were  overwhelmed 
and  delighted  at  such  a  great  social  event,  which  was  remem- 
bered for  yeai-s  as  a  chronological  era.  Other  events  in  the 
flight  of  time  were  located  so  long  before  or  so  long  after 
Miss  Ingledee  came  on  a  visit. 

Miss  Harrie  Snicker  was  not  quite  happy.  Her  mind 
was  troubled  lest  she  had  done  something  common.  This 
imaginary  alarm  was  soon  displaced  by  a  real  one.  As  they 
turned  out  of  the  narrow  street  on  their  way  up  town,  they 
saw  ahead   a  runaway  horse  hitched   to   an  express  wagon. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  99 

He  was  tearing  down  the  street  at  a  frightful  pace,  and  people 
were  scampering  for  dear  life.  Harrie,  in  an  agony  of  fear 
uttered  a  shriek  of  alarm.  Chetta  knew  she  could  rely  on 
her  cool-headed  little  pony,  and  with  steady  arm  attempted 
to  turn  him  quickly  toward  the  sidewalk,  thus  giving  the 
runaway  plenty  of  room.  To  her  horror  her  companion 
sprang  from  the  phaeton  directly  in  the  track  of  the  runaway, 
and  stood  immovable  as  a  statue,  but  screaming  with  fright. 

Her  cries  attracted  the  attention  of  a  foppishly-dressed 
young  man  who  happened  to  be  passing.  He  dropped  his 
eane  and  sprang  to  her  rescue,  dragging  her  away  just  in  the 
nick  of  time.  The  frightened  horse  swerved  to  avoid  her, 
this  movement  causing  the  wagon  to  swing  round  from  a 
straight  course.  It  struck  the  young  man,  upsetting  him  full 
in  the  muddy  gutter,  and  bruising  him  considerably.  Miss 
Harrie  escaped  uninjured,  but  her  rescuer  presented  a  rueful 
appearance  as  he  picked  himself  out  of  the  mud.  His  stylish 
low-crowned  hat  was  ruined.  A  hub  of  the  wagon  had 
struck  him,  making  a  long,  dingy  streak  of  axle-grease  on  his 
light  pants.  He  had  been  thrown  so  violently  as  to  burst 
his  neat-fitting  coat  at  the  shoulders.  Black,  slimy  mud  from 
the  gutter  completed  the  ruin. 

As  soon  as  Miss  Snicker  had  recovered  her  scattered 
senses,  she  gave  a  little  scream  of  surprise.  The  gentleman 
was  Air.  Bradley,  an  intimate  friend  of  hers,  and  an  admirer. 

"  Oh,  Mr,  Bradley,  protect  me.  I'm  so  nervous  I  can 
hardly  stand."  Her  appeal  was  rather  tardy,  seeing  that  all 
danger  was  past.     "  Oh,  I  shall  faint." 

"  I  think  there  is  no  further  danger  just  now,"  said  Brad- 
ley, looking  ruefully  at  his  ruined  clothes. 

"I'm  glad  you  think  so.  Take  me  home  to  pa.  What 
woukl  have  happened  if  you  had  not  come  to  my  rescue?" 

"You  would  have  been  run  over  most  likely,"  coolly 
replied  Chetta,  who  sat  in  the  phaeton,  smiling  in  spite  of 
herself  at  the  ludicrous  side  of  the  accident. 

"  Oh,  don't  say  it!  That  would  have  been  really  awful," 
said  Harrie  with  a  shudder. 

Mr.  Bradley  bowed  to  Miss  Ingledee  with  the  best  grace 
at  man  can  muster  in  the  presence  of  a  charming  young  lady 
when  he  is  spattered  with  mud  from  head  to  foot,  his  coat 
nearly  ripped  from  his  back,  axle  grease  on  his  pants,  and 
his  hat  a  shapeless  wreck.  Chetta  returned  his  greeting  with 
a  few  words  of  real  sympathy. 


lOO  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  You  have  performed  a  heroic  act  at  great  personal 
danger,  Mr.  Bradley.  I  really  hope  you  are  not  seriously  in- 
jured." 

"  Nothing  but  a  lively  shaking  up  and  a  few  slight  bruises 
I  believe,"  replied  Bradley,  trying  to  look  unconcerned. 

«  I'm  so  sorry,"  exclaimed  Harrie  Snicker,  "  and  I  thank 
you  so  much.  It  is  too  bad,  I  declare.  Why,  your  coat  is 
ripped,  and  there  is  grease  on  " — she  came  very  near  saying 
pants,  but  dexterously  steered  clear  of  what  would  in  her 
mind  have  been  a  very  indelicate  allusion,  and  said — "  on  vour 
hat."  "      • 

Bradley,  trying  unsuccessfully  to  appear  indifferent,  said  it 
was  nothing.  In  reality  it  was  to  him  a  great  deal.  He  was 
on  a  salary  of  twenty  dollers  per  week,  one-half  of  which  was 
necessary  to  procure  respectable  board  and  lodging.  A  new 
suit  meant  a  great  deal  to  him.  He  was  one  of  those  resolute 
young  men  of  the  present  day  who  have  in  their  hearts  a 
great  pzirpose.  He  was  trying  to  enter  good  society,  and 
maintain  on  a  meager  stipend  a  precarious  foothold  among 
people  who  had  plenty  of  money,  not  only  to  spend  but  to 
throw  away.  He  was  endeavoring  to  determine  by  continu- 
ous experiment  how  many  nice  young  ladies  he  could  get 
acquainted  with,  how  many  round  dances  he  could  accom- 
plish, how  many  late  suppers  he  could  devour,  how  much 
frivolitv  and  shallow  experiences  he  could  undergo  short  of 
physical  exhaustion  and  mental  stagnation.  This,  with  the 
maintenance  of  a  good  shape  and  a  pink  complexion,  consti- 
tuted the  great  purpose  to  which  he  was  heroically  devoted. 
One  of  the  episodes  in  this  purpose  was  his  acquaintance  with 
Miss  Harrie  Snicker.  As  a  little  knot  of  spectators  had 
gathered  at  the  scene  of  the  accident  the  ladies  deemed  it  best 
to  withdraw.  Bradley  assisted  Miss  Snicker  into  the  phaeton 
and  they  were  off. 

"  I'm  sorry  for  him,"  said  Chetta,  "  his  clothes  are  com- 
pletely ruined." 

"  I'm  sorry,  too;  but  wasn't  it  just  too  funny?  " 

"  It  would  not  have  been  very  funny  if  you  had  been  run 
over." 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  mean  that!  But  wasn't  it  too  comical  to 
see  him  sprawling  on  all  fours  and  his  hat  spinning  on  the 
sidewalk." 

"  Harrie,  you  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself  to  make 
fun  of  a  man  who  has  done  you  such  a  great  service." 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  lOl 

"  i  can't  help  laughing.  Of  course  I  know  it  was  real 
nice  of  him  to  do  it."  Had  he  rescued  her  from  the  sixth 
story  of  a  burning  building  it  would  have  been  in  Harrie 
Snicker's  eyes  simply  tiice.  She  could  discern  nothing  brave 
or  heroic  in  this  world  any  more  than  she  could  touch  any- 
thing common.  Chetta  drov'e  Harrie  home  and  then  returned 
to  her  own.  To  her  surprise  she  found  Silas  in  the  house.' 
Remembering  she  had  been  remiss  in  sisterly  duties,  she  de- 
termined to  have  a  serious  talk  with  her  brother  at  once,  the 
first  she  had  ever  attempted. 


CHAPTER  X. 

MR.    INGLEDEE  ATTEMPTS    TO  READ    HIS    FAMILY  A  LESSON 
OX    SOCIAL    DUTIES. 

In  pursuance  of  this  intention  Chetta  went  up  stairs 
and  knocked  at  the  door  of  her  brother's  sitting  room,  which 
he  facetiously  called  his  study.  There  were  books  lying 
around  the  room  plentifully,  but  they  were  not  of  the  kind 
that  required  study,  being  exclusively  light  literature.  On 
the  wall  hung  a  lithograph  of  the  Ingledee  steam  yacht. 
There  were  pictures  of  fast  trotters  and  of  mythological 
females  in  scanty  drapery.  Statuettes  and  various  brie  a-brac 
were  strewn  around  promiscuously,  together  with  numerous 
fancy  pipes,  cigar  holders,  whips,  and  suspicious  looking  bot- 
tles of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  some  very  stout  and  fat,  and 
others  very  slender.  In  truth,  the  young  man  had  never 
done  an  hour's  study  since  leaving  college  two  years  before. 
His  career  at  the  University  terminated  rather  abruptly  in  his 
sophomore  year,  owing  to  his  having  engaged  in  some  play- 
ful pastimes  denominated  hazing.  This  scandalous  relic  of 
barbarism  was  just  to  the  taste  of  the  young  man  and  his 
reckless  companions.  Unfortunately  it  did  not  agree  so  well 
with  the  victim,  who  was  crippled  for  life.  In  consequence, 
the  participants  in  this  lively  amusement  were  "rusticated," 
civil  proceedings  instituted  by  the  victim's  father,  and  the 
matter  finally  settled  by  a  handsome  sum  paid  in  hand  to  the 
injured  young  man  by  the  fathers  of  the  playful  young  men 
who  originated  the  sport. 


I02  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"Hello,  Chet,  is  that  you?"  he  exclaimed,  in  genuine  sur- 
prise, for  this  brother  and  sister  were  in  fact  almost  strangers 
to  each  other. 

/'  Of  course  it  is.  Can't  you  see?  "  she  replied,  dropping 
into  a  chair. 

"What  do  you  want?  " 

«  Nothing;  come  to  visit  you,  that's  all." 

"Well,  that  knocks  me  out  in  one  round." 

"What?" 

«  The  idea." 

"What  idea?" 

"  Why  your  coming  to  see  me,  hang  it." 

"  I'm  welcome,  I  suppose?" 

"Of  course,  Chet;  you're  always  welcome,"  he  replied 
heartily.  "  Make  yourself  at  home.  How  d'ye  like  the  pic- 
tures? Things  are  a  little  bit  shaken  up  here.  Got  some 
good  books  if  you'd  like  to  read  them." 

"  No,  thank  you,  brother.  I'm  reading  '  Prescott's  Con- 
quest of  Mexico  '  in  the  library." 

"  Well  now,  I  am  done  up  completely." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Silas?" 

"  Why,  the  idea  of  your  reading  such  books.  I  don't 
read  them  if  I  know  it." 

"  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  nice  to  take  one  evening  a 
week  and  read  with  me?  We  could  explain  to  each  other, 
you  know."     Silas  stared  with  incredulous  astonishment. 

"Chet,  are  you  out  of  your  head?  I  never  heard  of  such 
a  thing  in  all  my  life." 

"  There's  nothing  very  extraordinary  in  reading  one  even- 
ing per  week,  is  there?  " 

"  It's  wasting  one  evening  per  week  so  far  as  T  am  con- 
cerned.    I'm  too  busy  for  that." 

"What  busies  you?" 

"Why  society,  of  course.  A  fellow  must  keep  in  the 
swim  or  drop  out  altogether." 

"Pshaw!  You  can  go  when  you  choose  and  stay  when 
you  choose,  but  if  I  had  to  make  a  ninny  of  myself  by  going, 
I  should  say  drop  out." 

"  Sister,  you  a7-e  out  of  your  head." 

Chetta,  unheeding  his  manner,  went  on:  "  Silas,  don't  you 
think  it  would  be  better  for  you  if  you  gave  up  some  of 
your  associations?  " 

"  Now,  see  here,  that  is  just  what  father  has  been  preach- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  IO3 

ing.  Don't  you  begin  it,  for  it  will  do  no  good.  I  intend  to 
have  a  good  time,  and  when  I  get  ready  I'll  settle  down  of  my 
own  accord." 

"  When  you  get  ready  may  be  too  late." 

"  It  is  never  too  late  to  do  good." 

This  old  maxim  just  suited  the  present  need  of  the  young 
man,  though  in  his  case  it  was  a  very  black  lie.  He  forgot 
that  the  sweetest  grass  grows  in  the  spring,  that  the  morning 
sun  is  full  of  life,  that  youth  paints  a  picture  to  gladden  old 
age  or  plunge  it  in  remorse. 

On  this  particular  afternoon  Mr.  Ingledee  happened  to 
leave  his  office  early,  and  learned  that  his  children  were  both 
at  home.  He  sent  a  servant  to  call  them  to  his  own  cosy 
reading  room.  He  was  pleased  to  see  them  together.  His 
daughter  was  evidently  carrying  out  his  instructions.  Had  he 
been  as  wise  in  these  little  details  of  family  management  as  he 
was  in  mere  money  getting,  he  might  have  seen  that  this  tin}'^ 
germ  of  friendship  between  his  children  was  too  feeble 
to  bear  any  forcing.  Left  to  itself  it  might  develop  into  a 
hardy  plant.  Any  forcing  process  might  smother  it  effec- 
tually.    He  greeted  them  cheerfully. 

"Ah,  my  children,  we  shall  have  a  family  reunion, 
something  that  doesn't  occur  now  very  often,  I'm  sorry  to 
say." 

"  Yes,  somehow  this  family  fails  to  connect,"  said  Silas,  in 
a  careless,  flippant  tone,  which  he  made  no  effort  to  correct  in 
the  presence  of  his  father  and  sister. 

"  I  hope  we  shall  improve  in  that  respect.  Chetta,  what 
do  you  say  to  having  more  company  here?  " 

"Anything  you  wish,  papa." 

"  I  vote  that  a  bore,"  said  Silas;  "  I  want  some  place  whe»e 
I  can  be  quiet  now  and  then." 

"  We  should  have  quiet  company,"  said  Mr.  Ingledee  in  a 
tone  of  mild  rebuke. 

"  The  greater  the  bore  then." 

"You  might,"  continued  Mr.  Ingledee,  addressing  Chetta, 
"  have  a  card  party  or  something  of  the  sort  occasionally. 
Those  small  informal  parties  are  to  my  mind  the  most  delight- 
ful features  of  social  life." 

"  But  deucedly  stupid,"  said  Silas. 

Without  noticing  Silas's  implied  sneer,  Mr.  Ingledee 
continued : 

"  There  are   abundant  materials  at   hand   of  course.     For 


104  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

example,  the    Norwells,  the    Snickers,  the    ApHngtons,  the 
Brovvnells." 

"You  couldn't  find  a  more  stupid  lot,"  said  Silas. 

"Why  brother!  What  an  idea.  The  Norwells  are  very- 
superior  people,  and  the  Snickers — " 

"  Are  a  set  of  conceited  idiots." 

"  They  are  eminently  respectable  people,  and  move  in  the 
best  circles,"  said  Mr.  Ingledee.  "As  for  the  Norwells,  there 
is  not  a  family  in  the  city  that  has  a  better  position  in  society. 
Their  standing  is  the  best;  they  are  well  educated  and  re- 
fined.    They  have  abundant  means  to  gratify  their  tastes." 

This  encomium,  the  more  significant  as  it  was  unusual  on 
the  part  of  Mr.  Ingledee,  gave  Chetta  a  thrill  of  delight.  She 
had  long  hoped  to  be  able  to  have  Tom  Norwell  as  a  recog- 
nized lover.  But,  somehow,  in  spite  of  their  extended  and 
intimate  acquaintance,  things  made  no  apparent  progress  in 
that  direction.  Here  was  a  substantial  and  unexpected  recog- 
nition of  an  acquaintance,  which  she  had  heretofore  feared 
had  not  the  hearty  approval  of  her  father.  She  was  only  too 
glad  to  acquiesce  in  the  paternal  suggestion.  Had  Mr.  Ingle- 
dee stopped  here  all  might  have  been  well.  But  he  had 
neglected  his  family  so  long  that  he  felt  there  was  lost  time 
to  be  made  up.  As  is  usual  in  such  cases,  his  zeal  carried  him 
too  far.  Glancing  at  the  clock,  he  remarked  to  Chetta  that 
it  was  time  for  her  to  dress  for  dinner.  She  at  once  withdrew, 
suspecting  he  had  something  to  say  to  Silas. 

"Silas,  I  should  like  to  see  you  a  little  oftener.  Really, 
we  are  scarcely  acquainted." 

"  You  can  always  see  me  by  appointment,  you  know." 
This  word  appointment  applied  to  the  family  relation  had  in 
it  such  a  suggestion  of  utter  indifference  that  a  great  pain  filled 
the  father's  heart.  He  dearly  loved  this  son  who  was  every- 
thing to  him.  He  had  toiled  like  a  slave  for  this  boy,  and 
lavished  upon  him  everything  which  wealth  could  buy.  The 
son  took  it  all  as  a  matter  of  course,  but  had  nothing  to  give 
in  return.  Mr.  Ingledee  suddenly  realized  a  great  want  in 
his  existence,  a  void  which  his  millions  could  not  fill. 
He  felt  in  an  instant  that,  having  won  a  thousand  battltjs  in 
life,  he  had  lost  the  greatest  of  them  all  in  foiling  to  win  the 
obedience  of  his  son.  But  pride  enabled  him  to  conceal  his 
wounded  feelings. 

"  Do  you  not  think  it  well,  Silas,  for  vis  to  meet  occasion- 
ally other  than  by  accident  or  appointment  ?  " 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I05 

"  Possibly.  But  the  fact  is,  my  time  is  all  taken  up,  and 
I  suppose  yours  is,  too.  Really,  I  think  there  would  be  a 
great  saving  in  appointments." 

Mr.  Ingledee  saw  at  once  that  it  was  useless  to  pursue 
that  subject.  If  he  could  not  have  a  spontaneous  ofTcring  of 
love  he  would  see  whether  he  could  have  obedience. 

"  Silas,  I  hope  you  will  encourage  your  sister's  efforts  in  a 
social  direction  by  your  presence." 

"  I  encouraged  her  by  four  hours'  presence  at  her  ball, 
and  missed  in  consequence  some  rare  shooting  with  some  par- 
ticular friends.  Lost  the  whole  trip  we  had  planned.  Wasn't 
that  something?  "  He  spoke  in  an  injured  tone  as  if  he  had 
endured  martyrdom  on  the  occasion  referred  to. 

"  That  was  your  duty,  my  son.  These  lesser  social  oc- 
casions may  be  made  a  real  pleasure." 

"  They  are  awfully  dull.  Regular  tea-party  people  who 
say  and  do  stupid  things." 

"  Silas,  your  flippancv  scarcely  becomes  vou." 

"  Father,  I  am  not  flippant.  I  do  think  those  small  par- 
ties a  bore." 

"  That  is  because  you  have  not  learned  to  appreciate  good 
society.  Social  intercourse  with  people  of  refinement  and 
culture  is  certainly  a  desirable  thing  for  any  young  man  who 
wishes  to  improve  his  mind  and  his  manners.  For  example, 
the  Norwells  are  very  interesting  people.  Miss  Alice  Nor- 
well  is  a  charming  young  lady." 

"  Rather  precise."  « 

"  But  intelligent." 

"  And  peculiar.  Ought  to  wear  bloomers,  and  that  sort 
of  thing." 

"  Don't  speak  disrespectfully  of  my  friends,  sir!  " 

"  Aren't  your  friends  subject  to  criticism  like  other  peo- 
ple? If  they  are  not,  don't  put  them  in  the  way.  I  prefer  to 
select  my  own  friends." 

The  conversation  had  drifted  into  a  very  dangerous  chan- 
nel. When  Roker  had  cunningly  suggested  that  Mr.  Ingle- 
dee sliQuld  select  a  wife  for  Silas,  he  knew  that  such  a  pro- 
ceeding would  inevitably  cause  a  breach  between  father  and 
son.  Silas  suspected  such  an  intention  on  the  part  of  his  fath- 
er, and  promptly  resented  it.  In  extolling  J^Iiss  Norwell's  ac- 
complishments, the  father,  in  fact,  had  no  idea  of  recommend- 
ing her  to  his  son  as  a  suitable  wife.  He  thought  of  her  as  a 
sensible,    refined   woman.      Association   with   such   women 


I06  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

would  greatly  improve  his  son.  The  advantages  acciniing 
to  her  from  such  association  were  not  apparent,  but  like  many 
parents  in  such  cases  where  worthless  sons  are  to  be  saved  (  ?) 
he  did  not  consider  that  side  of  the  question.  He  ignored  the 
fact  that  sugar  and  vinegar  make  no  cider,  and  the  sugar  is 
lost,  too.  After  a  moment's  pause,  during  which  Silas  toyed 
rather  impatiently  with  his  watch  chain,  the  father  asked: 

"  Have  you  thought  any  more  about  going  into  the  office?" 

"  It  is  my  intention  to  do  so  ultimately." 

"  Silas,  it  takes  years  to  learn  business  and  acquire  busi- 
ness habits.  Meantime,  if  anything  should  happen  to  me 
you  should  be  able  to  take  charge  of  our  large  interests." 

"  In  that  case  I  should  retire  from  business." 

"  Why?"  asked  ]\Ir.  Ingledee,  with  secret  alarm. 

"  Well,  the  fact  is,  the  people  are  suspicious  of  Wall 
street.     They  consider  it  dangerous  and  a  public  nuisance." 

"What!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ingledee,  in  astonishment,  "do 
you  mean  to  say  that  you  consider  Wall  street  a  nuisance?  " 

"  I  said  nothing  of  the  sort.  I  only  repeated  what  the 
public  already  thinks,  as  you  are  doubtless  aware." 

"  I  am  surprised  at  your  paying  any  attention  to  such  idle 
remarks." 

"  Please  do  not  misunderstand  me,  father.  Some  people 
think  it  would  be  much  better  for  the  country  if  the  stock- 
gambling  crowd  in  Wall  street  were  \viped  out  of  existence. 
My  individual  opinion,  doubtless,  is  of  no  consequence  what- 
ever. But  as  our  money  was  all  made  there,  I  shall  not  go 
back  on  the  street,"  saying  which  he  rose  to  dress  for  dinner. 

"  Oh,  certainly  not.  Our  interests  are  there.  To  do  so 
would  be  madness." 

Mr.  Ingledee  was  greatly  relieved  to  think  that  his  son 
was  sound  on  this  one  point  at  least.  Silas  went  up  stairs  to 
his  apartments.  Mr.  Ingledee,  with  a  worn  expression  which 
he  had  exhibited  at  times  lately,  sat  with  his  head  resting  on 
his  hand.  For  the  first  time  in  his  life  the  railway  king  was 
foiled.  For  the  first  time  he  knew  a  great  and  grievous  dis- 
appointment. 

On  this  same  day  Mr.  Norwell  called  at  Ophir's  office  to 
inquire  how  the  Continental  &  Pacific  was  getting  along.  He 
was  in  high  spirits.  Mr.  Ophir  was  also  in  a  buoyant  frame 
of  mind.  He  ceased  reading  some  important  letters  to  greet 
his  old  friend  cordially. 

"  Everything  is  working  splendidly.     Sawder  is  confident 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I07 

we  shall  succeed.  He  has  lately  had  a  conference  with  Sena- 
tor Sublet,  who  has  charg^e  of  the  Senate  for  our  bill.  Sublet 
says  the  bill  can  be  rushed  through  sometime  during  the  last 
month  of  the  session."  Ophir  spoke  of  Sublet  having  charge 
of  the  United  States  Senate  much  as  if  that  august  body  had 
been  a  traveling  minstrel  troupe  or  a  circus.  He  might  have 
said,  with  more  modesty,  that  Sublet  had  charge  of  the  bill  in 
the  Senate.  Instead,  he  merely,  as  was  habitual  with  him, 
said  that  Sublet  had  charge  of  the  Senate.  This  migiity 
Sublet  was  vigorously  seconded  by  the  almighty  dollar  which 
strictly  speaking,  had  charge  of  the  bill.  As  Ophir  knew 
where  the  dollars  came  from,  he  had  no  reason  to  speak  doubt- 
fully, or  with  indifference.*"  A  single  dollar  is  modest,  a  mil- 
lion bold,  fift}'  millions  shameless;  hence,  there  was  no  ques- 
tion about  the  bill  going  through. 

"  As  you  perceive,"  continued  Ophir,  "the  stock  has  ad- 
vanced two  points  this  week.     It  will  soon  reach  par." 

"  I  am  well  satisfied  with  it,"  observed  Mr.  Norwell.  He 
could  not  well  be  otherwise.  He  held  ten  thousand  shares 
bought  at  fifty-five.  In  one  month  it  had  risen  six  cents  on 
the  dollar.  Witli  every  cent  advance  he  made  ten  thousand 
dollars.  From  a  financial  point  of  view  it  was  certainly  a 
good  thing. 

"Are  you  quite  sure  there  is  no  doubt  about  securing  the 
necessary  legislation  ?  " 

"None  whatever,"  said  Ophir,  with  a  contemptuous 
laugh.  "  Why,  you  see,  Norwell,  most  of  the  men  in  Con- 
gress who  have  the  brains  or  the  influence  to  endanger  the 
bill,  are  friends  of  the  measure.  Oakesworth  has  seen  them, 
and  I  am  told  he  uses  very  convincing  arguments."  He  did 
not  add  that  the  convincing  arguments  were  in  the  tangible 
shape  of  stock  in  the  "Credit  Construction  Company  "  that 
paid  fabulous  dividends  monthly  and  cleared  some  forty  mil- 
lions in  building  this  "great  public  necessity,  the  "Conti- 
nental &  Pacific  Railway."  f 

"  But  the  newspapers?" 

"  Well,  the  big  editors  have  been  silenced  either  by  the 
same  process  or  ty  the  party  whip.  Some  have  relations  in 
office,  others  want  relatives  put  into  office.  As  for  the  small- 
fry  editor,  he  isn't  posted,  any  way.  The  Continental  and 
Pacific  amended   bill   will    be    urged    as    a    party    measure, 

♦See  Note  3. — Corruption  money.         tSee  Note  i. — Credit  Mobilicr  swindle. 


Io8  AN    IRON    CROWlsr. 

and,  of  course,  most  people  think  their  party  can  do  nO 
wron_^." 

"  It  seems  to  be  a  reasonably  sure  thing." 

"  It's  dead  sure.  I  wish  I  could  control  more  of  it.  But 
it  is  a  great  interest  and  requires  heavy  backing." 

Considering  the  fact  that  the  government  was  expected  to 
build  these  roads  and  virtually  present  them  to  Ophir,  Ingle- 
dee,  and  a  few  others,  it  would  seem  as  if  the  backing  was 
very  good.  At  a  later  period,  when  these  unscrupulous  men, 
realizing  what  they  could  do  with  impunity,  had  determined 
to  "gobble"  everything,  Mr.  Norwell  would  not  have  been 
offered  any  such  golden  opportunities  to  make  money. 

"  Norwell,  I  can  let  you  have  some  more  if  you  will  take 
it  at  once.  A  certain  heavy  capitalist  wanted  forty  thousand 
shares  reserved  for  him,  but  he  now  declines  to  take  the 
stock." 

"  Can  I  have  it  at  the  original  fifty-five?" 

"  Couldn't  possibly  do  that,  even  for  an  old  friend.  Why, 
it's  quoted  to-day  at  sixty-one." 

"  I'll  take  it,"  said  Mr.  Norwell,  after  figuring  a  few  min- 
utes. "  Forty  thousand  shares  will  require  an  advance  of  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars." 

"Yes." 

*  I'll  draw  my  check  now." 

Stupendous  as  this  transaction  was,  it  will  appear  more 
clearlv  in  its  true  light  by  the  aid  of  a  little  figuring.  Mr. 
Norwell  now  owned  fifty  thousand  shares  of  Continental  and 
Pacific  stock,  or  a  par  value  of  five  million  dollars.  Every 
time  his  stock  advanced  one  cent  on  the  dollar  he  would  clear 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  For  every  cent  decline  he  would  lose 
a  similar  amount.  A  decline  of  twenty  cents,  on  the  dollar 
would  cause  a  loss  of  one  million  dollars,  a  sum  which  may 
easily  wijDe  out  a  fortune  of  twice  or  thrice  that  amount  in 
case  of  sudden  demands  for  ready  cash.  Norwell  was  called 
a  cool-headed  business  man,  yet  he  had  converted  safe  prop- 
erty into  unsafe.  He  was  in  the  condition  of  a  man  who 
spreads  his  couch  on  a  large  chest  of  dynamite  and  lies  down 
to  pleasant  dreams.  So  long  as  there  is  no  f  iolent  shock  he 
is  sale,  and  sleeps  as  soundly  as  in  a  feather  bed.  But  a  sud- 
den jar,  a  mighty  explosion,  a  rain  of  wreck,  a  dazed  com- 
munity, and  all  is  over. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

"OUT    WEST."       RURAL    AMUSEMENTS. 

It  is  near  the  holidays,  and  the  broad  prairies  of  Illinois 
are  covered  with  a  glistening  mantle  of  snow  that  is  crisp  and 
ringing  with  the  frost.  A  stinging  Dakota  blizzard  from 
what  some  wag  has  facetiously  termed  the  banana  belt,  has 
raged  for  three  days.  During  those  trying  da_ys  the  ther- 
mometer dropped  to  thirty  degrees  below  zero  Fahrenheit. 
The  air  was  filled  with  a  cutting  mist  of  frost  crystals,  mov- 
ing at  the  rate  of  forty  to  fifty  miles  per  hour.  The  best 
built  houses  fail  to  keep  out  this  icy  fluid,  which  penetrates 
the  thickest  clothing  to  the  very  marrow  in  the  bones. 

The  ruddy  glow  of  a  huge  stove,  filled  with  anthracite  at 
red  heat,  gives  an  appearance  of  comfort  to  the  cosy  par- 
lor. But  the  appearance  is  decejDtive,  for  the  searching  wind 
which  has  chased  the  skurrying  snow  over  a  thousand  miles- 
of  unbroken  prairie,  causes  a  sense  of  chill  within  a  few  feet 
of  the  stove  with  its  fiery  interior.  The  human  beings  who 
are  obliged  to  stir  about  at  such  a  time  are  coated,  mittened 
and  wrapped  till  they  resemble  animated  bundles  of  woolens. 
Cold  iron  burns  the  skin  with  a  sensation  exactly  similar  to 
that  caused  by  hot  iron.  Wagon  wheels  creak  and  screech 
with  a  shrill  sound  to  be  heard  for  a  mile.  Car  wheels  have 
a  ringing,  rasping  squeak  that  sends  a  shudder  through  the 
unfortunate  passenger  who  is  obliged  to  travel  in  such  weather. 

The  blizzard  has  subsided.  On  every  hand  stretches  the 
snowy  ocean  of  prairie  from  Indiana  to  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains. The  prairie  is  a  mystery.  No  one  knows  just  how  it 
came.  It  is  an  ocean  arrested  in  the  act  of  undulation.  The 
sea  is  by  turn  solemn  or  full  of  danger.  The  lofty  mountain 
oppresses  by  its  sublimity.  The  prairie  now  smiling,  now 
bleak,  is  ever  full  of  wild  beauty  and  inviting  mystery.  Man 
has  dotted  it  with  farmhouses,  villages  and  cities,  marring 
one  beauty,  adding  another.  Nature  decks  it  in  beautiful 
flowers  in  season  or  robes  it  with  a  mantle  of  golden  grain. 
It  is  the  garden  of  the  world  and  the  paradise  of  the  farmer. 

(109) 


no  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

On  a  crisp,  pleasant  day,  late  in  December,  Tom  Norwell 
stepped  from  a  Pullman  car  at  a  small  way  station  in  Illinois. 
Around"  the  little  pine  depot  were  the  usual  number  of  boys 
and  loungers,  some  waiting  the  arrival  of  the  mail,  some 
with  no  business.  As  the  postmaster  picked  up  the  mail 
sack  which  was  tossed  on  the  platform,  Norwell  accosted 
him: 

"  Do  you  know  a  Mr.  Bryce?" 

«  First  rate." 

"  Where  does  he  live  ?" 

"  Out  north  four  miles.  Take  the  road  due  north  to  the 
Bryce  schoolhouse,  then  go  a  mile  west."  So  saying  he 
shouldered  the  mail  sack  and  vvalked  away. 

Tom  was  somewhat  taken  back  at  the  curt  manner  in 
which  this  man  had  answered  his  questions.  The  brief  re- 
plies were  right  to  the  point  and  yet  they  were  far  from  sat- 
isfactory. I  challenge  the  world  to  produce  a  better  man 
than  the  average  American.  He  is  active,  industrious,  honest, 
manly.  He  is  hospitable,  courteous  to  women,  and  no  stickler 
about  trifles.  He  never  quarrels  over  a  nickel,  and  this,  in 
some  things,  renders  him  easily  imposed  on  because  he  is 
ashamed  to  a])pcar  small  in  anything.  But  you  must  under- 
stand him  and  know  how  to  get  at  him  before  all  of  these 
qualities  are  apparent.  He  has  no  meaningless  profusion  of 
politeness  for  either  friend  or  stranger,  like  that  of  the  bow- 
ing Frenchman,  the  dignified  Spaniard,  or  the  crafty  Oriental. 
He  Avill  answer  a  question  briefly,  perhaps,  if  he  is  in  a  hurry, 
gruffly,  and  go  about  his  business,  expecting  you  to  do  the 
same.  His  hospitality,  unless  he  is  a  Southerner,  is  not  very 
apparent  on  the  surface,  but  the  genuine  article  is  a  part  of  his 
very  nature.  When  he  gets  better  acquainted  with  you  and 
finds  that  you  are  really  worth  becoming  his  friend,  he  in- 
vites you  into  his  house  to  associate  freely  with  liis  family, 
and  spares  no  pains  to  make  you  comfortable.  He  and  his 
will  imdergo  almost  any  inconvenience  that  the  guest  may 
enjoy  himself. 

Tom  Norwell,  though  brought  up  in  an  American  city, 
and  priding  himself  on  being  an  American,  knew  little  more 
of  rural  life  in  this  country  than  he  did  of  life  in  China.  He 
had  expected  some  one  to  meet  him  at  the  train,  for  he  had 
written  Wilson  informing  him  which  train  he  would  arrive 
on.     This  was  indeed  a  chilly  reception.     He  asked  a  boy: 

"  What  is  the  best  way  to  get  to  Bryce's?" 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  Ill 

"  Hire  a  rig,  I  guess."  Another  boy  spoke  up  at  this 
juncture,  saying  that  Mr.  Bryce  was  in  town. 

"  I'll  show  you  where  he  is.  You  can  go  out  with  him." 
Just  then  a  farmer  appeared  around  the  corner  and  the  boy 
added,  "  There  he  is  now." 

"Be  you  the  gentleman  from  New  York  comin'  to  visit 
Mr.  Wilson?" 

"  I  am.     My  name  is  Norwell." 

"And  mine  is  Bryce." 

A  hearty  shake  of  the  hand  followed.  Mr.  Bryce  was  a 
large,  well-built,  ruddy-faced  man,  with  pleasant  blue  eyes 
and  shaggy,  light-colored  whiskers.  He  wore  an  immense 
overcoat,  which  had  seen  much  service,  coarse  cassimere 
clothing,  heavy,  thick-soled  boots,  a  fur  cap  and  enormous 
buckskin  driving  gloves,  with  well-worn  fur  tops.  In  his 
hand  he  carried  a  whip. 

•"  Come  right  along,"  he  said,  seizing  Tom's  satchel. 
"  Been  waitin'  fur  you.  Team's  up  in  town."  Mr.  Bryce 
led  the  way  to  the  conveyance,  which  consisted  of  a  wagon 
body  mounted  on  bob  sleds.  "  Get  right  in.  Gyep,  there!" 
and  away  they  went  at  a  rattling  trot.  The  sleighing  was 
superb  except  when  they  were  obliged  to  flounder  out  of  the 
beaten  track  to  let  teams  they  met  go  by.  Mr.  Bryce  made 
it  a  point  never  to  allow  anybody  to  pass  him  from  behind. 
They  spun  merrily  along,  the  farmer  talking  incessantly. 
They  passed  an  occasional  farmhouse,  but  otherwise  the 
road  ran  straight  as  a  die  through  a  monotonous  waste  of 
snow-covered  prairie.  It  was  a  vast  deserted  avenue  bounded 
by  miles  of  unsightly  wire  fence  inclosing  fields,  each  of 
which,  as  Bryce  remarked,  would  make  a  farm  down  East. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  occasional  buildings  and  the  intermi- 
nable wire  fences  one  coulc^ easily  have  imagined  himself  on 
a  frozen  sea,  for  not  a  tree  was  near  nor  a  living  thing  to 
break  the  stillness  of  a  Northwestern  winter.  Away  to  the 
north  might  be  seen  a  belt  of  scraggy  timber.  In  a  very 
short  time  the  four  miles  were  done,  and  Mr.  Bryce  drew  up 
before  his  own  door. 

The  house  was  a  large,  two-story  frame  structure  with 
the  side  facing  the  road,  and  a  one-story  kitchen  forming  an 
L.  In  front  were  evergreen  trees  and  a  gravel  walk.  The 
house  was  painted  white,  after  the  usual  fashion  of  the  coun- 
try. In  the  rear  were  the  capacious  barn,  corn  crib  and  other 
outbuildings".      Several   sleek   cows    took  advantage   of  the 


112  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

winter's  sun  by  standing  very  close  to  the  warm  pine  boaras 
on  the  south,  side  of  the  barn.  A  herd  of  big  fat  hogs 
munched  corn  or  rooted  hizily  in  a  rear  lot.  The  barnyard 
fowls  pecked  carelessly  in  the  litter,  or,  perching  on  a  board 
fence,  sunned  themselves  and  dressed  their  plumage.  Occa- 
sionally an  aggressive  bird,  after  a  fashion  sometimes  set  by 
its  human  fellows,  gave^a  neighbor  an  unmerciful  peck 
which  resulted  in  much  noise  and  some  feathers.  A  large 
wood  shed,  joined  to  the  rear  of  the  kitchen,  was  abundantly 
stored  with  coal  and  wood.  On  one  side  of  this  shed  was  an 
immense  binful  of  corn  cobs  for  kindling.  Frequently  the 
golden  corn  itself  had  been  used  for  fuel,  as  cheaper  than 
either  wood  or  coal.  The  whole  scene  indicated  the  home  of 
a  well-to-do,  enterprising  Illinois  farmer.  Tom  was  met  at 
the  gate  by  his  friend  Wilson,  who  took  him  into  the  house. 

"  Go  right  in,  and  make  yourself  at  home,"  said  Mi*. 
Bryce.  "  I've  no  end  of  chores  to  do.  You'll  have  to  take 
things  as  you  ketch  'em  here,  I  guess."  In  such  a  comfor- 
table place  you  might  take  things  as  you  caught  them  and 
find  them  excellent  too. 

"  I'll  come  out  and  help  you  with  the  chores,"  said  Wil- 
son.    It  was  Saturday,  and  there  was  no  school. 

"  No  you  won't,  1  reckon.  You  stay  right  in  the  house 
and  talk  with  your  friend.  You  see,  to-morrow's  Sunday, 
an'  that's  about  the  best  chance  I'll  have  at  him.  So  I'll 
count  on  to-morrow  for  my  turn." 

"All  right,"  said  Wilson,  and  they  went  into  the  house. 
Tom  was  duly  introduced  to  Mrs.  Bryce  and  the  daughter, 
May  Biyce,  an  only  child.  Mrs.  Bryce  greeted  the  guest 
cordially;  the  daughter  vvas  shy  but  not  awkward. 

"  Take  your  friend  into  the  parlor,  Mr.  Wilson,  and  enter- 
tain him.  May  and  I  have  to  miake  preparations  for  Sun- 
day." These  preparations  consisted  in  making  unlimited  pies, 
cookies,  and  fried  cakes  and  in  dressing  a  pair  of  fine  chick- 
ens for  Sunday  dinner.  These  occupations  are  often  if  not 
generally  the  most  refining  within  the  sphere  of  the  farmer's 
wife.  Added  to  them  are  usually  an  "  old  settler's  "  meeting 
once  a  year,  the  county  fair,  one  picnic  and  a  few  visits.  As 
a  rule  she  gets  so  little  time  for  reading  that  she  loses  the 
capacity  for  it,  or  what  is  worse,  the  desire  did  she  possess 
the  books,  which  she  does  not  as  a  general  thing. 

It  was  evident  that  the  parlor  was  not  for  everyday  use, 
but  was  the  best  room.     It  was  scrupulously  neat.     The  fur- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  II3 

niture  was  substantial,  and  in  its  time  had  been  stylish.  The 
carpet  was  good,  foi"  there  were  no  stamping  boys  in  the 
Bryce  family  to  carry  terror  to  the  hearts  of  the  women  by 
tracking  the  floors  on  muddy  days.  There  were  some  good 
books  in  a  case  and  a  piano  which  was  the  especial  property 
of  ISIay,  and  the  only  one  "  this  side  of  town."  The  few 
simple  pictures  and  the  little  articles  of  ornamentation,  though 
unpretentious,  indicated  a  refined  taste.  The  whole  showed 
the  touches  of  May's  leisure  moments.  This  parlor,  though 
little  used,  was  not  one  of  those  sepulchral  "best  rooms  "  into 
which  the  sunshine  of  day  or  the  sunshine  of  a  laugh  never 
penetrates.  Everything  the  Bryces  owned  was  intended  to 
serve  some  useful  purpose. 

They  had  scarcely  closed  the  parlor  door  when  Tom 
remarked : 

"A  very  pretty  girl,  that  Miss  Bryce." 

"What,  smitten  already?"  replied  Wilson,  eyeing  his 
friend  narrowly. 

"Oh,  no;  I  shan't  poach  on  your  preserves." 

"  Tom,  I'm  only  a  boarder  in  this  house." 

"  Oh,  I  understand.  It  must  be  very  nice  sometimes  to 
be  a  boarder." 

"  It  is  to  be  a  boarder  in  this  family." 

The  friends  chatted  until  supper  time,  watchmg  the  glow- 
ing anthracite  through  the  cherry-red  mica  doors  of  the  big 
base-burner.  They  talked  of  New  York  and  their  acquain- 
tances, of  the  fresh  Englishman,  who  was  withal  a  good  fel- 
low, of  the  "  Old  Commoner "  and  his  sugar,  of  Chetta 
Ingledee,  and  Wilson  did  not  fail  to  ask  his  friend  about  his 
sister  Alice. 

At  the  six  o'clock  supper,  which  Tom,  in  his  ignorance 
called  dinner,  the  table  was  bountifully  spread  with  substan- 
tial and  delicacies.  It  was  such  fare  as  only  the  country 
housewife  can  prepare.  There  was  a  chicken  pot-pie,  the 
sight  of  which  would  have  rendered  the  inhabitants  of  a 
boarding-house  frantic  with  anticipations  of  gastronomic 
delights.  There  were  mashed  potatoes  and  stewed  parsnips 
and  cold  slaw.  There  was  light,  delicious  bread,  which  had 
a  satisfying  substance  that  was  very  unlike  the  airy  produc- 
tion of  the  city  baker,  which  approaches  at  times  the  ethereal 
nothingness  of  a  dream.  'There  were  huge  pies,  apple  and 
mince,  with  well-baked,  tender  crust  and  bounteous  insides. 
The  principal  dishes  were  punctuated  with  smaller  ones  piled 
s 


114  ^'^    IRON    CROWN. 

high  with  pickles,  spiced  peaclies,  preserved  pears,  canned 
strawberries,  and  currant  jelly.  For  drinkables  there  was  cof- 
fee like  nectar,  milk  and  cider.  The  cream  for  the  coffee  and 
fruit  was  cream.  It  was  ambitious  to  rise  to  the  top  of  the 
vessel  in  a  rich  coat,  and  was  not  ashamed  to  stay  there. 
Pickled  i^igs'  feet,  doughnuts  and  other  dishes  found  a  place 
wherever  they  could  among  the  profusion  of  edibles. 

It  is  the  weakness  of  the  farmer's  wife  to  display  all  the 
resources  of  her  cookery  at  once.  Like  an  army  reduced  to 
great  straits,  she  hazards  all  on  a  single  charge,  and  tries  to 
carry  all  by  one  great  effort.  She  overwhelms  with  profu- 
sion. If  she  possesses,  as  she  often  does,  a  dozen  kinds  of 
butters,  jellies  and  marmalades,  she  sets  them  all  out  at  once, 
to  the  utter  bewilderment  of  her  guest  and  the  confusion  of 
her  neighbor,  who  can  set  out  only  ten  kinds.  Hence  about 
the  only  difference  noticeable  at  next  day's  Sunday  dinner 
was  that  the  chicken  was  roasted  and  pumpkin  and  custard 
pies  took  the  place  of  apple  and  mince,  while  delicious,  flaky 
biscuits  were  a  toothsome  substitute  for  bread. 

During  the  long,  gloomy  December  Sunday  Jacob  Bryce 
talked  to  Norwell  unceasingly,  inside  the  house  and  out. 
The  farmer  was  really  an  intelligent  man,  and  was  delighted 
to  find  some  one  beyond  his  own  commonplace  acquaintance 
with  whom  he  could,  as  he  expres'sed  it,  have  "a  good  square 
talk."  He  showed  Norwell  the  hogs,  told  him  what  they 
would  weigh,  and  what  he  could  get  for  them.  He  pointed 
out  the  pigs  he  intended  to  keep  for  breeding  purposes.  He 
descanted  on  the  meiits  of  his  horses,  and  gave  a  history  of 
the  flea-bitten  old  gray  mare  who  was  the  mother  of  sev- 
eral of  them.  All  this  might  have  been  very  tiresome  had 
it  not  been  interlarded  with  practical  observations  new  and 
novel  to  Tom.  Bryce's  conversation  departed  materially 
from  that  usual  on  such  occasions,  which  takes  the  form  of  a 
dialogue  something  after  the  following  fashion: 

"John,  what'U  you  take  for  that  there  brindle  cow?" 

"  Forty  dollars!  not  a  cent  less  of  any  man's  money. 
That's  a  dog-on  fine  keow,  Jones." 

"  Say,  d'ye  mind  that  old  crumply-horned  cow  of  ourn?" 

"  Le's  see.     The  one  with  the  stub  tail?" 

«  Yes." 

"  Waal,  that  ole  cow  jist  beats  all  creation.  She's  got  so 
the  women  can't  go  nigh  her.  She  chased  the  hull  kit  out  'o 
the  barn  yard  last   Monday  mornin', — no,  le  's  see,  it  was 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  II5 

Chuseday  mornin'.  Bub  had  to  stop  plowin'  to  git  her 
druv  to  tile  paster." 

"Beef  her!  No  keow  o'  mine  can  cut  up  any  sich  didos 
as  that  roun'  me,  I  tell  yeou." 

"  John,  how  d'ye  keep  your  horses  so  slick?  " 

*•  Oats  an'  elbow  grease,  I  guess." 

«  What's  good  for  bots?  " 

"  Got  bots  at  your  house?  " 

"  Naw,  but  one  o'  Bill  Simpson's  horses  died  awful  sud- 
dint  with  'em  yisterday." 

"  They're  a  purty  skeery  thing  sometimes.  We  never 
had  'em."  From  the  last  remark  it  would  seem  doubtful 
whether  bots  were  confined  to  the  equine  family  or  whether 
at  times  they  might  not  attack  their  biped  masters  on  skeery 
occasions. 

"  Bothered  with  rats?  Durn  em,  they're  eating  us  up  body 
and  breeches."  And  so  the  conversation  goes  on  for  a  whole 
day  if  the  visit  lasts  so  long. 

Although  Mr.  Br3xe  never  allowed  the  valves  of  speech 
to  get  rusty  his  conversation  was  not  flat.  Nor  did  he  have 
that  exceedingly  vulgar  habit  of  trying  to  do  all  the  talking, 
a  habit  not  unknown,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  in  good  society.  He 
asked  Tom  his  opinion  on  many  subjects  of  interest.  At 
times  he  asked  some  questions  which,  had  not  Tom  been 
previously  cautioned  by  Wilson,  he  would  have  considered 
impertinent.  But  they  were  well  meant.  Tom  was  secretly 
hoping  that  the  old  man  would  get  through  sometime  and 
allow  him  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance  of  the  daughter.  But 
for  this  he  was  obliged  to  wait  till  a  week  day  when  Mr. 
Bryce  was  at  work  and  Wilson  at  school. 


CHAPTER  Xn. 
spellin'   school. 


"  What  are  your  chief  amusements.  Miss  Bryce?  '* 
"  We  have  very  few,  mostly  singings,  parties  and  spelling 
schools." 

"  1  think  those  must  all  be  very  enjoyable."  • 

«  I  don't  care  much   about  them,  Mr.  Norwell.     It  is  just 


Il6  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

the  same  thing  over  every  time.  They  say  and  do  about  the 
same  things.  My  greatest  pleasure  is  reading.  Mother  says 
I  read  so  much  that  I  care  for  nothing  else." 

"  That  is  an  unfailing  source  of  pleasure  for  some  people, 
though  I  can't  say  I'm  much  of  a  reader.  What  do  you  like 
best?" 

"  Poetry  and  fiction." 

"  I  cut  the  poetry." 

"  Oh,  poetry  is  delightful,  Mr.  Norwell.  How  can  you  say 
that?" 

«  It's  because  I'm  prosy,  I  guess." 

«  Mr.  Norwell,  I  think  you  must  be  a  great  deal  more  clever 
than  you  admit.  City  people  all  are  I  suppose;  I'm  a  country 
girl,  but  I  do  think  country  people  are  so  dull.  It  must  be 
very  nice  living  in  a  city  where  all  the  people  are  well-in- 
formed and  entertaining."  Norwell  opened  his  eyes  rather 
wide  at  this,  and  replied: 

"  Miss  Bryce,  I  think  you  over-estimate  city  people.  They 
are  not  all  witty  and  well-informed,  and  not  all  even  agree- 
able." 

"  Of  course  I  did  not  mean  that  they  were  all  witty.  We 
cannot  all  be  that." 

"  Some  of  us  city  folks  are  stupid  too." 

"  Well,  perhaps — I  don't  know — I  never  thought  so,"  re- 
plied May  slowly,  as  if  this  were  a  painful  revelation  that  pro- 
duced a  discord  in  her  ideas  of  metropolitan  society.  She 
had  formed  those  ideas  chiefly  on  her  estimate  of  the  very 
few  city  people  she  had  seen,  and  from  notions  picked  out  of 
books,  and  the  society  columns  of  the  papers.  It  was  hard 
to  believe  that  the  well-dressed,  polite,  city  people  were  not 
the  superior  beings  which  her  romantic  imagination  had 
pictured  them.  But  here  was  a  positive  contradiction  of 
her  notions.  If  she  were  only  quite  sure  he  was  not  jesting, 
she  would  quietly  admit  the  painful  truth  of  his  position.  On 
the  latter  point  she  was  undecided,  and  so  made  only  a  partial 
surrender. 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  I  suppose  some  city  people  arc  dull." 

"For  your  admission,  Miss  Bryce,  I'll  make  another,  that 
many  country  people  are  decidedly  agreeable  company." 
In  her  uncertainty  what  to  say.  May  now  said  nothing  at  all. 

This  conversation  occurred  one  afternoon  before  Wilson 
returned  from  his  school,  and  while  Mrs.  Bryce  was  taking 
the  first  steps  toward  supper.     Norwell  had  found  his  new 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


117 


friends  very  interesting,  and  had  rapidly  advanced  his 
acquaintance  with  them. 

Tlie  first  social  event  w^hich  Tom  Norwell  participated  in 
was  a  spelling  school.  The  "Spoon  Creek"  district  chal- 
lenged VVilson's  school  to  a  contest.  A  rivalry  had  existed 
between  these  districts  from  the  days  of  the  first  settlers.  It 
cropped  out  in  matters  literary,  social,  and  at  times  religious. 
Each  strove  to  outdo  the  other  in  whatever  might  be  under- 
taken. Sometimes  one  was  victorious,  sometimes  the  other, 
for  they  were  very  evenly  matched.  These  contests  were 
usually  carried  on  in  a  spirit  of  good  humor  except  when 
religion  got  mixed  up  with  them,  tlien  dogmatism  sometimes 
got  the  better  of  common  sense,  among  the  elderly  brethren 
and  sisters.  Bryce's  district  was  shoutin'  Methodist,  Spoon 
Creek  deep-water  Baptist. 

The  much  talked  of  contest  was  to  take  place  on  the 
Tuesday  evening  of  the  week  before  Christmas.  The  young 
folks  had  been  in  a  high  state  of  excitement  for  several  weeks. 
The  Analytical  Speller  was  conned  morning  noon  and  night 
as  it  had  never  been  perused  before.  Boys  and  girls  even  be- 
came absorbed  in  the  excitement  to  the  extent  of  abandoning 
for  a  time  the  more  congenial  sports  of  skating,  sliding,  pop- 
ping corn  and  munching  apples.  Their  heads  might  be  seen 
in  dangerous  proximity  to  the  evening  lamp,  as  they  hummed 
incessantly,  getting  the  long  columns  by  heart.  One  might 
easily  have  imagined  them  talking  machines,  specially  con- 
structed to  pour  forth  in  unceasing  streams  the  fearfully  and 
wonderfully  constructed  syllables  of  our  senseless  English 
orthography.  They  gave  out  to  one  another,  as  pronouncing 
was  called  in  the  local  idiom,  to  test  their  pi-oficiency.  The  old 
folks  caught  the  contagion  and  told  wonderful  stories  of  feats 
accomplished  in  Webster  or  the  "  United  States,"  "  forty  odd 
year  ago  "  when  spelling  was  a  high  art,  and  before  its  pres- 
ent lamentable  decadence  had  set  in. 

It  was  generally  conceded  by  the  people  of  both  districts, 
that  Deacon  Elijah  Brown,  of  Quinnebago  district,  and  Squire 
Hiram  Dodge,  of  Four  Corners  district,  should  respectively 
give  out  and  act  as  judge  (umpire).  The  deacon  belonged  to 
the  Congregational  church  and  was  consequently  above  the 
suspicion  of  bias  in  a  contest  between  Baptist  and  Methodist. 
Squire  Dodge,  who  hailed  from  the  Buckeye  State,  had  been 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  twenty  years,  and  never  had  a  decision 
reversed  by  a  higher  court.     He  was  a  member  of  no  church. 


Il8  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

He  was  consequently  satisfactory  to  all,  and  at  the  same  time 
a  concession  to  the  worldly  element  which  flourished  to  a  con- 
siderable degree  in  these  parts. 

It  was  further  hoped  that  Judge  Andrew  Dickson  might 
be  induced  to  come  out  from  town.  The  Judge,  like  many 
other  titled  dignitaries  in  the  West,  had  never  sat  on  the  bench 
unless  it  was  a  carpenter's  bench  in  his  early  da3-s.  He  was 
an  imiDortant-looking  fat  man,  who  carried  a  gold-headed  cane 
and  could  squirt  tobacco  juice  a  little  further  than  any  other 
person  in  the  county.  He  was  a  great  scholar  and  served  the 
community  insteady  of  a  cyclopedia.  Tap  him  anywhere 
and  information  would  flow.  Logaritlims,  philosophy,  history, 
poetry  and  orthography  trickled  indifferentl}'  from  the  same 
spigot.  True,  his  knowledge  was  not  very  well  classified,  and 
it  usually  took  some  time  to  get  at  just  what  was  wanted. 
But  a  considerable  dumping  around  of  wares  in  his  mental 
storehouse,  and  much  preliminary  expectoration  usually 
brought  forth  an  opinion  more  or  less  explicit.  His  decisions 
were  seldom  questioned.  In  a  community  of  farmers  and 
small  tradesmen,  erudite  men  are  rare  enough  to  be  valu- 
able, besides  what  is  the  use  of  weakening  public  confidence 
and  running  down  home  institutions?  The  only  fear  was  that 
Judge  Dickson  might  not  honor  this  occasion  with  his  pres- 
ence. He  often  declined,  and  then  allowed  himself  to  be 
persuaded  into  accepting.  It  was  so  in  this  case,  and  as  a 
result  his  services  were  thereby  greatly  enhanced  in  public 
estimation. 

On  the  eventful  evening  Bryce's  big  sled  was  full  to  over- 
flowing with  young  folks  going  to  the  "  spellin'  school."  The 
bottom  of  the  sled  was  full  of  clean  oat  straw,  and  into 
this  squeezed  the  youngsters  until  the  boards  creaked  every 
time  they  breathed.  Tom  Norwell  was  very  careful  to  seat 
himself  beside  May  Bryce.  In  the  jostle  and  chafiing  and 
noise  he  clung  as  closely  to  her  side  as  the  prevailing  confu- 
sion permitted.  The  hired  man  drove.  Mr.  Bryce  "  guessed 
he  was  about  done  with  that  sort  o'  thing,"  so  he  and  Mrs. 
Bryce  staid  at  home.  Several  other  sleds  took  the  remainder 
of  the  Bryce  district,  and  away  they  sped  at  a  rattling  pace, 
over  the  crisp  snow,  under  a  glorious  moon,  between  miles  of 
wire  or  two-plank  fence,  past  farmhouses,  up  gentle  slopes, 
down  again  with  a  swoop,  over  wooden  bridges,  rousing  dogs 
in  basso,  dogs  in  tenor,  dogs  in  piping  staccato,  dogs  with  a 
lazy,  careless  bark,  dogs  with  a  sharp,  vicious  bark,  and  dogs 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  II9 

in  the  far  away  distance  whose  answer  seemed  only  an  echo. 
On  they  speed,  sing-ing  merrily  snatches  of  songs  in  all  kinds 
of  time  and  no  kind  of  tune,  arousing  the  people  as  they  pass, 
whose  faces  appear  at  the  ruddy  windows;  on!  on!  over  the 
boundless  prairie,  between  the  interminable  fences,  witli  snow 
flying  in  their  faces,  and  overhead  the  clear  full  moon  and 
myriads  of  twinkling  stars  set  in  a  silvery  sky.  Such  is  a 
genuine  country'  sleighride,  compared  with  which  the  city 
affair  in  a  cramped  ten  to  twenty  dollar  a  night  turn  out  is  a 
miserable  delusion. 

Spoon  Creek  schoolhouse  was,  as  Deacon  Brown  expressed 
it,  "chuck  full."  There  was  this  winter  a  sudden  revival  in 
spelling  schools  which  had  of  late  years  somewhat  languished 
for  the  more  fashionable  amusements  found  in  evening  parties 
and  dancing. 

"  I  calkilate  there  hasn't  been  sich  a  crowd  in  this  house 
sence  the  war,"  remarked  the  Deacon  to  Squire  Dodge. 

"  I  reckon  not.  Who  do  you  reckon  will  have  to  give 
out.  Deacon?" 

"Judge  Dickson's  the  man  for  that."  Now  in  making 
this  reply  the  deacon  knew  perfectly  well  that  another  sphere 
of  usefulness  was  allotted  to  the  Judge,  and  that  he  himself 
was  by  general  consent  to  be  nominated  for  the  position 
named. 

"  I  'spose  the  Judge  will  be  late  if  he  comes  at  all,  so  I 
reckon  we'll  have  to  pick  somebody  else."  This  conversation 
took  place  while  they  were  thawing  their  shins  in  front  of  the 
huge  soft-coal  stove  in  the  center  of  the  room,  which  raged 
like  an  incipient  volcano. 

The  room  was  now  full  of  shock-headed  cubs  of  boys  in 
jeans  and  cowhide  boots,  with  woolen  scarfs  around  their 
necks.  The  young  men  were  more  pretentiously  dressed, 
some  of  them  even  in  tailor-made  well-fitting  suits,  though 
their  efforts  at  style  somehow  were  not  a  complete  success. 
They  acted  too  much  like  the  painfully  conscious  man  who 
appears  for  the  first  time  in  a  bran  new  suit  of  clothes. 
Howevei",  if  the  young  men  were  satisfied,  and  better  still,  the 
girls,  that  was  quite  sufficient.  One  ambitious  youth  who 
aspired  to  play  the  beau  possessed  a  profusion  of  red  hair. 
He  wore  a  flaming  red  silk  necktie  and  a  pair  of  yellow  kid 
gloves  (the  only  pair  present)  with  black  corded  seams  in 
the  backs.  The  effect  was  certainly  unique.  There  were 
girls  of  all  sizes,  stout  girls,  slim  girls,  straight  gills,  stooping 


I20  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

girls,  plain  girls  and  handsome  girls.  One  trait  they  all  pos- 
sessed in  common,  an  uncontrollable  tendency  to  giggle.  Some 
of  the  older  young  ladies,  however,  succeeded  measurably  in 
suppressing  undue  laughter.  There  were  also  many  of  the 
younger  married  people  present,  and  a  sprinkling  of  old  folks. 
Soon  after  the  close  of  the  conversation  alluded  to  between 
Deacon  Brown  and  Squire  Dodge,  as  above  quoted,  the 
Squire  rose  and  cleared  his  throat.  The  talking  now  sub- 
sided or  was  carried  on  in  whispers,  and  the  Squire  began: 

"Ladies  and  Gentlemen: — It's  gittin'  nigh  onto  eight 
o'clock."  Nobody  disputed  this  announcement,  and  he  con- 
tinued after  a  pause  with  deliberation  and  great  stress  on  his 
words.  "  I  reckon  this  is  goin'  to  be  the  biggest  spellin' 
school  we  ever  had  in  these  parts.  It's  goin'  to  be  a  squar 
stand  up  and  knock  down  in  three  rounds,  an'  I  'spose  it's 
goin'  to  take  considerble  time.  In  my  opinion  we  ort  to  begin 
tolable  early.  So  I  will  noininate  Deacon  Brown  to  give 
out.  If  there  is  no  objection  the  Deacon  is  considered 
elected." 

Deacon  Brown  went  forward  to  the  teacher's  desk.  He 
was  a  tall,  stooping,  thin  Yankee,  with  a  marked  nasal  twang. 
Like  Judge  Dickson  he  had  acquired  a  habit  of  spitting  con- 
tinually on  exciting  occasions,  such  as  the  present.  Unlike 
the  Judge,  he  had  nothing  to  spit,  for  he  did  not  chew 
tobacco.  With  a  nervous  attempt  to  expectorate,  which  being 
the  first,  was  partially  successful,  the  Deacon  began: 

"Ladies  and  Gentlemen: — I  think  praps  you  might  'a  got 
a  more  competent  person  to  fill  this  position  than  I  be,  for  it's 
a  ticklish  place  to  be  in  on  such  occasions  as  this,  an'  takes 
ruther  particlar  work." 

The  Deacon  made  it  much  more  ticklish  by  his  disagreea- 
ble articulation,  which  often  puzzled  the  speller  and  left  him 
in  a  fog  as  to  what  the  word  might  be.  But  he  was  not 
aware  of  any  such  infirmity.  His  remarks  were  merely  intro- 
ductory, and  the  same  he  had  made  at  every  spelling  where 
he  had  presided  for  the  last  twenty  years.  After  another 
superannuated  attempt  to  spit  he  proceeded : 

"  I  agree,  however,  with  Squire  Dodge.  It's  nigh  onto 
eight  o'clock.  (No  dissent.)  I  kalkilate  we'd  better  toss  up 
for  sides."  Just  then  Judge  Dickson  entered,  preceded  by  a 
suppressed  buzz  of  mingled  excitement  and  satisfaction. 
"  Come  right  up  in  front.  Judge.     Take  the  master's  seat." 

"  I  was  a  gittin'  mighty  oneasy.     I  thought  you  mightn't 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  121 

be  comin',''  remarked  Squire  Dodsje  by  way  of  salutation,  in 
an  undertone  that  could  be  heard  all   over  the  house. 

"  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,"  continued  Deacon  Brown,  "if 
nobody  objects  I  guess  we'd  better  have  the  Judge  to  sit  as  a 
sort  of  court  of  appeal  to  aid  the  reg'lar  judge  to  pass  on 
knotty  pints." 

As  the  Judge  had  been  sent  for  with  this  very  purpose  in 
view,  and  as  everybody  knew  it  perfectly  well,  there  was  no 
objection.  Neither  was  there  any  approval.  It  is  only  city 
people  who  have  acquired  the  absurd  and  meaningless  habit 
of  applauding  on  every  possible  occasion.  The  Deacon  con- 
tinued: "I  kalkilatc  we  are  now  ready  to  git  right  down  to 
business;  the  teachers  will  toss  up  for  sides." 

The  tossing  up  was  for  the  purpose  of  allowing  the  oppo- 
site sides  a  chance  to  choose  from  those  present  who  belonged 
to  neither  district.  It  was  done  in  this  wise.  One  of  the  teach- 
ers grasped  the  handle  of  the  school  broom  with  his  right  hand 
and  the  other  grasped  it  just  above  and  touching  the  hand  of 
the  first.  The  one  who  had  the  last  hold  at  the  top  of  the 
handle  tossed  the  broom  into  the  air  for  the  other  to  catch  at 
random.  Two  upper  holds  out  of  three  gave  the  right  of 
first  choice,  which  fell  to  Wilson.  Wilson,  feeling  confident 
of  his  success  any  way,  chose  Tom  Norwell  partly  as  a  joke 
and  partly  because  he  knew  Tom  to  be  a  pretty  good  scholar 
and  a  correct  speller.  Here  Deacon  Brown  confided  to 
Squire  Dodge,  in  one  of  those  wheezy  whispers  which,  in- 
tended to  be  inaudible,  can  be  heard  more  easily  than  the  indi- 
vidual's ordinary  tone  of  voice,  "  I  kalkilate  that  New  York 
chap  is  some  on  the  spell  when  he  tries."  It  was  in  vain 
Tom  asked  to  be  excused.  Squire  Dodge  said  such  a  thing 
couldn't  be  thought  on,  and  the  authority  in  the  person  of 
Judge  Dickson  said  such  a  thing  was  without  jDrecedent,  and 
little  short  of  a  violation  of  the  common  law. 

A  row  of  seats  had  been  placed  around  the  room,  begin- 
ning with  the  teacher's  desk,  running  down  the  side  aisles, 
and  ending  at  the  door  on  the  o]:)posite  side  of  the  house.  On 
these  the  contestants  took  their  places,  the  teachers  at  the 
head.  The  contest  v/as  to  be:  First,  "climbers";  second, 
spelling  down;  third,  a  bout  at  defining  lists  of  words  which 
both  schools  had  studied  in  their  readers.  These  climbers 
were  the  two  best  spellers,  who  went  each  to  the  foot  of  his 
opponent's  side.  Whenever  a  word  was  missed  the  climber 
went  above  all  the  persons  missing,  unless  some  one  on  that 


122  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

side  was  fortunate  enough  to  spell  the  word  before  it  reached 
the  climber,  or  unless  the  climber  himself  was  unlucky  enough 
to  miss,  in  which  case  the  correct  speller  "trapped"  him.  . 

The  contest  grew  animated  as  the  grotesque  and  senseless 
combinations  of  English  orthography  fell  from  the  lips  of 
lisping  maidens  in  almost  inaudible  tones  (the  same  who 
could  laugh  so  loud),  and  shock-headed  boys  who  blunted  all 
their  vowels.  A  very  few  of  the  poorest  spellers  dropped  be- 
\.  fore  the  climbers  at  the  first  round,  but  the  majority  held  out 
bravely.  There  was  little  guessing.  It  was  a  brilliant  tri- 
imiph  of  mnemonics.  At  length,  to  Wilson's  great  dismay, 
reveille  slaughtered  nearly  his  whole  line.  There  were  fre- 
quent calls  to  have  it  "pronounced  over  again."  This  was 
clearly  against  the  rules,  for  Deacon  Brown  had  announced  be- 
fore beginning  that  he  should  give  out  words  but  twice  at  most, 
and  each  speller  should  have  but  one  trial.  He  stuck  on 
reveille  and  held  a  whispered  consultation  with  Judge  Dick- 
son as  to  its  proper  pronunciation.  Then  drawing  a  long 
breath,  and  ejaculating  two  little  spits,  he  fired  the  deadly 
missile  at  the  unsuspecting  assembly.  The  effect  was  electri- 
cal. A  suppressed  "what"'  of  surprise  ran  around  the  circle. 
The  boy  whose  turn  it  was  had  been  posing  with  his  feet  on 
the  seat  in  front  of  him.  In  his  confusion  he  dropped  them 
with  a  great  noise  to  the  floor,  and  the  consequent  publicity 
embarrassed  him.  He  grew  red  in  the  face  and  stammered 
"  Dunno  the  word."  Deacon  Brown  held  another  consulta- 
tion with  Squire  Dodge  and  Judge  Dickson,  in  which  they 
came  to  the  astounding  conclusion  that  it  was  a  furrin'  word. 

"  Naow,  bein'  a  furrin  word,  I  kalkilate  it  ought  to  be 
pronounced  accordin'  to  furrin  idees.  What  dew  yeou  say, 
Squire  Dodge?"  This  public  appeal  was  merely  formal,  to 
give  the  Squire  a  chance  to  express  himself. 

"  I'm  not  very  well  up  onto  furrin  words.  Deacon,  but  I 
guess  we  ort  to  have  the  furrin'  way  about  as  nigh  as  you  can 
tech  it."  Judge  Dickson  felt  that  here  was  a  chance  to  display 
profound  learning,  and  give  a  decision  that  was  a  decision. 
As  a  preliminary  he  took  the  cud  of  tobacco  from  his  inouth 
and  prepared  to  expectorate.  He  blew  a  column  of  tobacco 
juice,  shaped  like  a  miniature  water  spout,  directly  toward  the 
stove.  It  fell  a  little  short  of  the  mark,  but  left  a  broad  trail 
on  the  floor  shaped  like  the  tail  of  a  comet.  With  due 
deliberation  he  began: 

"  P'r'aps  we'd  better  have  the  French  of  it.      French  is 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I23 

gettin'   to  be  so  common   nowadays  that  we  might  as  well 
take  to  it  first  as  last,  I  guess." 

Deacon  Brown  now  prepared  to  give  "  the  French  of  it, 
as  nigh  as  he  could  tech  it."  A  Frenchman  would  have 
stood  aghast  at  the  result.  It  might  have  been  a  Welch  adjec- 
tive, a  three-story  German  oath,  or  the  echo  of  a  superannu- 
ated war  whoop.  Nobody  dared  attempt  it.  Now  it  so 
happened  that  in  the  Bryce  district  the  pupils  had  been  taught 
to  pronounce  the  word  rev-a-lee'  while  tlie  Spoon  Creekers 
had  got  the  "  French  of  it  "  re-vale-yea.  As  a  consequence 
Wilson's  school  were  completely  puzzled,  while  their  oppo- 
nents were  secretly  and  anxiously  expectant,  for  some  of  them 
had  somehow  recognized  the  mangled  remains  of  the  word, 
perhaps  from  Deacon  Brown's  facial  contortions. 

The  frightened  boy  whose  turn  it  was  spelled  "  raillery ;" 
the  next  one  "  shillalah."  Then  there  was  a  storm  of  pro- 
test "that  it  wasn't  fair;  nobody  knew  the  word."  After  con- 
siderable discussion  it  was  finally  agreed  that  the  deacon  should 
pronounce  the  word  again.  This  time  he  mentally  resolved 
to  make  it  clear,  and  thought  a  judicious  combination  of  the 
English  and  French  versions  might  improve  matters.  But, 
unluckily,  he  stuck  in  the  middle  of  it,  and  could  get  neither 
backward  nor  forward,  finally  delivering  himself  of  some- 
thing about  as  intelligible  as  the  words  of  Italian  opera  to  an 
English  audience.  With  his  inimitable  nasal  twang  the  word 
might  have  passed  for  a  section  of  a  Chinese  pra3-er.  He 
slowly  repeated  it  without  a  particle  of  accent,  jerking  each 
syllable  off  in  separate  morsels — ruv-ale-yuh. 

Everybody  passed  unanimously  till  it  came  to  the  turn  of 
the  Spoon  Creek  climber,  who  correctly  spelled  and  pro- 
nounced reveille.  At  one  fell  swoop  he  laid  low  all  his  oppo- 
nents but  Tom  and  Wilson.  There  was  a  storm  of  protest, 
but  in  vain.  Squire  Dodge  decided  that  the  deacon's  pro- 
nunciation "  must  'a  bin  accordin'  to  grammar  'r'else  that 
climber  wouldn't  'a  snapped  it  up  like  that,"  and  Judge  Dick- 
son, as  final  court  of  appeals,  clinched  the  decision.  The  law 
of  the  Medes  and  Persians  could  not  be  changed. 

Tom  and  Wilson  in  dismay  determined  to  fight  for  it,  and 
if  possible  save  their  side  from  ignominious  defeat.  Round 
and  round  went  the  words  until  the  interest  grew  intense, 
as  evinced  by  the  quietness  prevailing.  First  the  whispering 
subsided  into  a  low  hum,  then  it  stopped,  then  feet  ceased  to 
shuffle  on  the  floor,  and  at  last  a  dead  silence  prevailed.     The 


124  -^N    IRON    CROWN. 

excitement  incident  to  an  old-fashioned  spelling  school  finally 
culminates,  with  a  close  contest,  in  a  tension  such  as  is  exhibited 
at  a  horse  race  or  at  a  theater  where  a  fashionable  audience  is 
listening  to  the  thrilling  crisis  in  some  great  tragedy.  The 
fastidious  critic  or  the  languid  devotee  of  dilettante  literature 
may  find  nothing  perchance  in  a  spelling  school  of  interest  or 
worthy  of  mention.  To  such  I  will  say  that  the  spelling 
school  is  as  distinctively  American  as  the  jDumplvin  pie  or  Yan- 
kee Doodle,  and  as  this  book  deals  with  American  life,  the 
author  deems  no  apology  necessary  for  inti'oducing  the  spell- 
ing school. 

Round  and  round  went  the  words,  but  the  Bryce  district 
climber  had  not  succeeded  in  "trapping"  a  single  Spoon 
Creeker.  He  was  held  stubbornly  at  bay  by  a  ruddy-cheeked 
boy  in  a  blue  flannel  shirt  without  any  collar.  This  boy  was 
a  prodigy  in  spelling,  and  his  being  placed  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  line  was  a  most  ingenious  ruse  to  discourage  the  ene- 
my. Suddenly  Tom  Norwell,  who  was  really  warmed  to  the 
contest,  fell  on  bilious^  into  which  he  projected  two  I's  in  a 
moment  of  over-confidence.  Instantly  the  tension  was  re- 
moved and  a  laugh  followed,  which  Squire  Dodge  promptly 
suppressed  by  stamping,  his  big  foot  on  the  floor  and  remark- 
ing, «'  1  'low  we  ort  to  have  better  order."  Wilson's  school 
was  defeated.  They  won  on  the  "  stand  up  and  spell  down  " 
trial,  but  lost  the  defining  contest,  and  the  victory  was  ad- 
judged to  the  triumphant  Spoon  Creekers.  The  spelling 
adjourned  amidst  shouts,  laughter,  and  much  good-natured 
bantering. 

Suddenly  the  young  folks  are  divided  without  any  appar- 
ent cause  into  two  distinct  groups.  The  girls  in  one  corner 
of  the  room,  with  much  chattering  and  giggling,  don  their 
bonnets  and  shawls,  while  the  boys  all  file  out  of  the  house. 
Here  they  form  in  two  lines  at  either  side  of  the  door  and  ap- 
pear to  be  in  an  expectant  attitude.  Inside  the  girls  giggle 
incessantly,  and  such  expressions  as  "  You  go  first,  Tillie." 
«  '^o^you  go  first,  Jule,"  could  be  heard.  At  last,  with  much 
adjusting  of  wraps  and  giggling,  the  girls  start  for  the  door 
to  run  the  gauntlet  awaiting  them. 

The  irrepressible  small  boy  is  outside  the  lines  taking  ob- 
servations. As  the  maidens  trip  lightly  over  the  threshold 
the  gallant  beaux  (the  more  experienced  nearest  the  door  as 
the  critical  position)  single  out  the  damsels  of  their  choice 
and  inquire,  rather  nervously,  "May   I   see  you  home?"     If 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  1 25 

the  answer  is  favorable  the  cavalier  thrusts  out  an  arm  awk- 
wardly at  right  angles,  and  the  procession  moves  at  once, 
amid  the  cheers  of  the  vigilant  small  boy.  If  a  negative  is 
received,  does  the  young  man  vanish  into  nonentity?  Not  at 
all,  if  he  have  a  modicum  of  what  is  known  in  the  local 
vernacular  as  brass.  He  just  keeps  on  asking  till  he  does  find 
a  girl  who  is  ready  to  lisp  out  "  Yes."  This  is  no  lottery,  for 
there  is  a  prize  for  ever}'  one,  and  perseverance  coupled  with 
the  happy  faculty  of  not  being  too  particular,  is  sure  to  win. 
The  dainty  damsels  delight  in  saying  "  No  "  a  few  times,  but 
thev  are  all  the  time  anxiously  watching  the  length  of  the 
line  and  are  sure  to  be  suited  before  reaching  it.  There  is  no 
case  in  the  traditions  where  a  young  man  owning  a  sleigh 
has  been  refused. 

Away  they  went  homeward  again  under  the  twinkling 
stars.  The  crisp  snow  as  it  flew  before  the  horses'  feet,  over 
the  unbroken  crust  at  the  roadside,  had  a  clear,  musical  ring, 
like  the  faintest  low  twang  of  a  stringed  instrument.  The 
spirits  of  the  part}'  were  at  the  very  highest  pitch.  They 
sang,  they  jested,  they  laughed  as  they  sped  away  like  the 
wind.  The  sled  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity,  and 
somehow  Tom  Norwell's  arm  slid  gentl}'  around  May  Bryce's 
waist.  Perhaps  this  was  to  economize  space,  perhaps  a  precau- 
tion against  accident.  She  chatted  away  apparently  oblivi- 
ous to  the  fact.  She  was  fascinated,  thrilled,  delighted  with 
the  superior  manners  of  this  well-bred  stranger.  Her  refined 
and  romantic  nature  was  stirred  as  it  nev^er  had  been  be- 
fore. But  she  did  not  seem  to  recognize  the  fact  that  her  beau 
had  an  arm  at  all,  that  is  to  say,  she  took  no  cognizance  of 
its  whereabouts.     Like  oblivion  prevailed  in  other  cases. 

May  told  the  hired  man  "  to  let  the  horses  out."  He  let 
them  out  with  the  intention  of  passing  a  sled  just  ahead.  He 
turned  his  team  from  the  beaten  path,  and  with  a  crack  of  the 
whip  put  them  on  a  full  run.  The  entire  lane  was  drifted 
full  of  snow,  and  smooth  as  a  floor,  concealing  all  hollows  or 
inequalities.  Unluckil}'  he  turned  out  just  as  they  were  pass- 
ing over  a  low  wooden  bridge  or  culvert  which  was  con- 
cealed by  the  drifts.  There  was  a  sudden  lurch  of  the  sled, 
a  chorus  of  screams,  flying  forms,  tangled  wraps,  and  the 
whole  party  were  floundering  in  three  or  four  feet  of  snow. 
Fortunately  nobody  was  hurt,  and  nothing  broken.  The 
party  ahead,  with  roars  of  laughter  at  the  expense  of  the 
wrecked  crew,  caught  the  horses,  and,  in  a  few  minutes  after 


136  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

much  scrambling,  shaking  of  garments,  and  searching  for 
lost  articles,  they  were  all  safely  started  again. 

After  proceeding  some  distance  they  approached  another 
bridge,  and  a  young  man  sang  out: 

"Say  girls,  are  you  goin'  to  pay  forfeits?"  Several 
laughed,  and  one  damsel  said  saucily,  "Not  much;  wouldn't 
you  like  to,  though?"  Tom  Norwell  had  heard  of  the  an- 
cient custom  by  virtue  of  which  the  gay  gallant  might  snatch 
a  kiss  from  his  fair  partner  while  crossing  a  bridge.  He, 
furthermore,  had  the  impression  that  country  people  were 
very  free  and  easy  in  their  manners.  If  there  "was  any  fun 
going  he  mentally  resolved  to  have  his  share.  Leaning  over 
the  shoulder  of  his  neighbor  in  front,  he  inquired  in  a  whisper 
if  the  forfeit  were  to  be  exacted.  That  young  gentleman 
jocularly  replied,  "  I  will  if  you  will,"  and  Tom  answered, 
"All  right."  Suddenly  they  entered  the  darkness  of  a  covered 
wooden  bridge,  and  Tom  adroitly  planted  a  kiss  on  the  cherry 
lips  of  the  unsuspecting  May.  His  companion  in  front  at- 
tempted to  follow  suit,  but  the  saucy  damsel  was  too  quick  to 
be  caught  on  the  fly,  and  a  little  struggle  ensued.  Two  or  three 
other  young  men  made  similar  attempts,  but  woman  would 
not  be  woman  if  she  yielded  without  a  contest.  The  sled 
emerged  from  the  bridge,  and  a  chorus  of  female  voices  cried, 
"  Not  smart  enough,  eh,"  and  laughed  in  silvery  peals  that 
echoed  over  the  solemn  waste  of  snow.  May,  who  was  so 
neatly  caught,  blushed  crimson,  but  made  no  reply  to  the 
good-natured  chafF  at  her  expense. 

Tom  felt  heartily  ashamed  of  himself.  He  was  a  thief, 
caught  in  the  act  and  exposed  to  the  eye  of  a  virtuous  public. 
He  felt  that  he  had  heartlessly  imposed  on  a  helpless  girl. 
But  the  remembrance  of  that  delicious  first  kiss  lingered  long 
after  all  sense  of  culpability  disappeared.  First  impressions 
thrill  and  penetrate  us  till  they  become  a  part  of  ourselves,  as 
later  ones  never  can.  The  sunshine  quickens  the  ripening 
peach.  But  when  i"are  nectar  swells  the  luscious  fruit  the 
golden  beams  become  only  a  dull  stream  of  yellow  light.  The 
peach  has  drunk  the  wine  of  life,  and  sunshine  now  brings 
only  surfeit. 

Norwell  was  obliged  to  return  to  New  York  soon.  He 
had  had  a  capital  visit.  He  had  seen  a  little  of  real  country 
life  and  had  never  enjoyed  himself  so  well.  He  returned, 
bearing  pleasant  memories,  one  of  which  was  the  image  of  a 
tender,  blue-eyed,  fair-haired  girl.      Was  there  room  in  his 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


127 


heart  for  it  beside  that  of  the  strong-willed  girl  of  Fifth  av- 
enue? A  man's  heart  may  hold  a  thousand  noble  imoulses. 
but  it  can  never  hold  two  women  at  once. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE    HACKETTS. 


Mr.  Norwell  had  once  had  in  his  employ  at  the  factory  a 
foreman  by  the  name  of  Hackett.  This  man  had  a  family, 
consisting  of  his  wife,  a  daughter  Mary  and  a  son  John.  With 
him  lived  a  maiden  sister.  Aunt  Rhoda  Hackett.  Hackett 
found  it  hard  work  to  support  such  a  family  on  his  moderate 
salary.  His  wife  was  an  invalid,  and  the  boy  a  sickly  hunch- 
back. The  little  fellow's  deformity  was  not  so  bad  as  most  of 
the  kind,  and  he  strove  to  conceal  it  as  far  as  possible  by  dress 
and  bearing,  but  nature  had  been  very  miserly  in  her  gifts  to 
him.  From  his  stunted  appearance  he  was  always  known  by 
the  name  of  "  little  Hackett."  His  pale,  sickly  looks  be- 
trayed chronic  ill-health,  lesulting  from  his  spinal  trouble  and 
a  nervous  disorder  which  affected  the  functions  of  his  heart 
somewhat. 

By  dint  of  much  scrimping  and  saving,  Hackett  had  ac- 
cumulated one  thousand  dollars  which  Mr.  Norwell  kept  pay- 
ing him  interest.  Hacket  was  solicitous  that  his  crippled  son 
and  daughter  should  not  be  left  penniless  to  the  scanty  char- 
ity of  a  selfish  world,  doomed  to  the  unceasing  struggle  for 
existence  incident  to  the  life  of  the  very  poor.  Mrs.  Hackett's 
long  expected  death  came  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  Hackett 
died  a  few  years  later  when  Mary  was  thirteen,  and  "Little 
Hackett"  eleven.  He  bequeathed  the  w^hole  of  his  little  prop- 
erty to  his  children,  naming  Mr.  Norwell  executor.  Aunt 
Rhoda  continued  to  be  their  natural  guardian,  as  she  had  for 
years  been  really  a  mother  to  them. 

Little  Hackett  was  now  twenty-one,  though  in  appearance 
still  a  boy.  His  somewhat  better  health  allowed  him  to  work 
with  his  sister  in  a  bookbindery  where  she  had  for  some 
years  been  employed.  Mr.  Norwell,  by  allowing  them  a 
generous  interest,  more  than  the  money  would  really  bring 
elsewhere,  had,  besides  the  small  outlays  made  from  time  tp 


1 28  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

time  for  the  children,  accumulated  for  them  in  all  two  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  had  retained  Mary's  money  after  her  major- 
ity, but  now  informed  the  Hackett  children  that  they  would 
come  into  possession  of  one  thousand  dollars  apiece.  They 
were  naturally  anxious  to  invest  their  little  money  where  it 
would  be  absolutely  secure.  Aunt  Rhoda,  who  was  reared 
in  the  country,  thought  "  a  bit  of  land  "  the  surest  possession 
in  this  world.  But  a  bit  of  land  was  out  of  the  question  in 
New  York  Cit)',  with  their  means.  They  naturally  wished 
Mr.  Norwell  to  advise  them. 

The  Hacketts  lived  on  the  East  Side  in  a  street  a  little 
further  up  town,  a  little  cleaner,  and  a  little,  very  little  better 
in  every  respect  than  the  plebeian  neighborhood  of  the  Mal- 
leys.  There  was  less  brawling,  less  noise  at  night,  and  less 
filth  than  in  the  latter  locality.  The  ugly  brick  tenement- 
house  in  which  they  lived,  had  nothing  attractive  about  it  to 
any  one  accustomed  to  the  decencies  and  common  comforts 
of  life.  But  the  poor  are  grateful  for  even  a  shelter.  Added 
to  this  plenty  to  eat,  plenty  to  wear,  and  a  warm  fire,  and 
they  anticipate  a  taste  of  heaven.  You,  perhaps  reader, 
though  not  a  millionaire,  may  think  the  possession  of  only 
these  things  not  living  at  all.  Your  opinion  then  is  only  an- 
other illustration  of  the  old  saying  that  one-half  the  world 
does  not  know  how  the  other  half  lives. 

It  is  said  of  Marie  Antoinette,  the  unfortunate  queen  of 
France,  on  whom  was  poured  the  accumulated  wrath  of  cen- 
turies, that  she  asked,  when  told  that  the  people  clamored  for 
bread,  "Why  don't  the  poor  things  eat  cake?"  In  this  land 
of  boasted  intelligence  there  are  millions  of  people  as  ignorant 
of  the  tendencies  of  our  national  policy  as  was  this  useless 
piece  of  royalty,  concerning  the  real  condition  of  her  miser- 
able subjects.  Our  public  domain  which  we  thought  inex- 
haustible has  well-nigh  disappeared,  granted  to  great  corpo- 
rations and  land  thieves  of  various  degrees.  We  have  en- 
couraged railways  with  land  grants  until  they  are  virtually 
our  masters.  They  buy  our  officeholders  with  what  they 
stole  from  the  people.  We  have  boasted  of  our  natural  re- 
sources, and  "  boomed  "  our  natural  advantages  until  Euroj^e 
is  deluging  us  with  paupers  and  criminals. 

Our  patent  laws,  originally  intended  to  protect  the  inven- 
tor, are  now  little  better  than  a  means  of  allowing  conscience- 
less capitalists  to  rob  the  people.  When  four  or  five  sewing- 
machine  monopolies  can  wring  from  the  women  of  the  coun- 


AN    IRON'CROWN.  I29 

try  one  hundred  millions  in  twenty  years;  when  four  or  five 
railway  kings  can  steal  one  hundred  and  sixty  millions  in 
twenty  years;  when  an  oil  company  can  pile  fabulous  millions 
on  millions  in  ten  years;  when  a  VVall-street  pirate  can  steal 
from  the  American  people  one  hundred  millions  in  twenty 
years  by  wrecking  railroads,  seizing  telegraphs,  and  endanger- 
ing the  business  interests  of  the  country;  when  three  or  four 
great  coal  monopolies  can  own  the  fuel  of  a  continent,  and 
charge  extortionate  prices  for  it;  when  the  rich  daily  grow 
enormously  rich,  and  the  poor  daily  grow  poorer;  when  all 
these  things  can  occur,  under  the  sanction  of  law,  in  a  great 
republic, is  it  not  time  to  stop  and  think?  Having  reflected, is  it 
not  time  to  act  before  our  slavery  is  complete  and  irremediable? 

What  must  we  do?  Join  the  ranks  of  the  communist? 
No!  Communism  is  a  monster  too  vile  to  be  tolerated  for  an 
instant.  It  is  the  dangerous  weapon  of  the  reckless,  the  im- 
provident, the  criminal.  What  then?  Purify  politics.  Elect 
honest  men,  pledged  to  honest  measures.  If  they  betray 
their  trust  set  them  such  an  example  as  will  make  ofiicial 
corruption,  bribery,  and  dishonesty  a  crime,  sure  to  meet  a 
swift,  certain,  and  righteous  retribution.  Let  public  opinion 
place  bribery  on  a  par  with  horse  stealing.  Let  us  at  all 
hazards  stay  this  tide  of  corruption.  Otherwise  the  dreadful 
horrors  of  the  French  Revolution  may  be  repeated  on 
American  soil  during  the  twentieth  century. 

The  crazy  old  brick  building  in  which  the  Hacketts  lived 
was  a  regular  human  hive.  It  had  nothing  suggestive  of 
home  to  a  person  who  had  been  brought  up  on  a  farm  where 
the  nearest  neighbor  lives  half  a  mile  distant.  It  was  a  home 
for  the  Hacketts,  for  they  had  known  no  other  nearly  all  the 
lives  of  the  brother  and  sister.  The  Hacketts  were  jDrobably 
the  very  poorest  tenants  in  the  building,  which,  instead  of  be- 
ing a  calamity  as  may  appear  at  first  sight,  was  a  blessing, 
since  they  had  very  good  neighbors.  Among  such  people 
there  is  little  or  none  of  the  jealousy  existing  among  the  rich 
on  the  subject  of  wealth  which  leads  at  times  to  so  much 
display  and  senseless  rivalry.  None  of  them  had  means 
sufficient  to  justify  them  in  putting  on  airs.  In  this  building- 
no  family  had  less  than  two  rooms,  a  fortunate  contrast  with 
those  places  not  infrequent  in  the  metropolis  where  a  family 
of  five  or  six  persons  cook,  eat,  live,  and  sleep  in  a  single 
room  of  moderate  dimensions.* 

*See  Note  4.— The  Poor  of  New  York. 
9 


130  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

The  two  rooms  occupied  by  the  Hacketts  were  at  the 
back  of  the  third  floor.  The  back  yards  here  gave  a  space 
of  at  least  sixty  feet  between  the  rear  of  their  house  and  the 
rear  of  the  buikling  across  the  alley.  In  this  locality  such  a 
vista  may  justl}'  be  termed  magnificent,  and  the  tenant  who 
would  complain  of  such  a  stretch  of  scenery  was  indeed  un- 
reasonable. The  forenoon  sun  shone  full  into  their  rear 
room.  This  was  a  blessing  of  which  the  enterprising  land- 
lord had  not  been  able  to  devise  means  to  deprive  them,  al- 
though he  made  the  most  of  it  by  increasing  the  rent,  because 
of  the  fine  light  which  made  the  apartments,  he  argued,  fully 
equal  to  a  front  suite  of  rooms. 

The  carpet  on  the  floor  was  in  places  very  threadbare, 
though  carefully  darned  by  Aunt  Rhoda.  The  chairs  were 
old  and  growing  rickety.  There  was  a  geranium  and  a  vine 
in  the  window,  and  a  very  active  canary  in  a  cage.  The  little 
square  stove  which  served  both  for  cooking  and  heating  pur- 
poses was  carefully  polished.  In  spite  of  the  apparent  poverty, 
this  little  room  looked  positively  cosy.  Mr.  Norwell  often 
came  to  see  and  advise  his  wards,  and  frequently  Tom 
dropped  in  to  have  a  chat  with  Aunt  Rhoda  and  Mary,  who 
had  grown  into  a  very  good  looking  young  woman.  On  the 
present  occasion  as  they  were  seated  by  a  lamp,  about  half- 
past  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  there  was  a  knock  at  the 
door.  Mary,  laying  down  some  sewing,  remarked  to  her 
brother,  who  was  reading: 

«  That's  Tom  Norwell." 

«  Well,  if  I  don't  believe  it  is,"  exclaimed  Aunt  Rhoda. 
Mary  opened  the  door,  and  Tom's  cheery  voice  was  heard  in 
the  passage.  His  voice  like  his  nature,  was  full  of  melody. 
There  was  in  it  an  mspiration  of  joy  which,  combined  with 
his  cheerful  countenance,  carried  gladness  with  them.  No 
germ  of  discontent  existed  in  his  nature.  His  presence  for  the 
time  subdued  it  in  others.  Who  could  really  be  selfish  enough 
to  feel  blue  while  catching  a  spirit  of  genial  humor  from  this 
good  natured  specimen  of  i^obust  mental  and  physical  man- 
hood? Yet  he  was  not  frivolous.  He  possessed  the  rare 
faculty  of  making,  when  he  chose,  his  cordiality  a  part  of  be- 
coming dignity.  Unconsciously  he  banished  reserve,  with- 
out sacrificing  the  prestige  of  his  own  attractive  personality. 
His  manners  were  frank,  cordial  and  winning;  when  this  rare 
gift  is  combined  with  small  moral  faculties,  the  possessor  may 
become   a   very  dangerous  person.     Nature  does  for  a  rascal 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I3I 

of  this  sort  gratuitously,  and  with  apparent  honesty  of  pur- 
pose, what  a  less  gifted  rogue  is  obliged  to  accomplish  by 
artful  methods.  But  Tom  Norwell  had  no  thought  of  em- 
ploying wrongly,  the  great  power  which  like  a  magnet,  drew 
others  toward  him.  It  would  have  been  of  vast  utility  to 
Horace  Roker.  Tom  dropped  into  an  old-fashioned  rocking 
chair  which  was  always  allotted  to  him.  Mary  resumed  her 
sewing,  now  and  then  casting  a  friendly  glance  toward  their 
visitor. 

"  Laws  'a  me,  Mr.  Tom,  you  haven't  been  to  see  us  for  a 
long  time.  Are  you  forgettin'  old  friends?  But  then  of 
course  you  have  more  places  to  go  than  poor  folks  have." 

"  Now,  Aunt  Rhoda,  that  isn't  fair.  1  haven't  forgotten 
you  at  all.     I'll  leave  it  to  Mary  if  I  have,  eh,  Mary?  " 

"  I'm  sure  you  would  never  forget  old  friends,"  said  Mary, 
as  a  smile  lighted  up  her  countenance,  and  a  faint  glow  passed 
over  her  cheeks.  Mary  Hackett  had  a  pleasing  face  with 
regular  outlines.  It  had,  perhaps,  too  little  color  for  healthy 
beauty,  but  with  the  adjuncts  of  fine  dress,  and  the  polish  of 
good  society,  she  might  have  passed  for  a  fine-looking 
woman.  As  it  was,  she,  although  still  young,  showed  traces 
of  care,  which  plainly  indicated  the  canker  of  hard  work  and 
poverty.  Yet  she  had  an  intelligent,  spiritual  look,  which 
showed  her  to  be  in  thought  and  feeling,  far  above  most  of 
her  fellow  workmen  in  the  great  book  bindery. 

"There,  Aunt  Rhoda,  you'll  have  to  submit  gracefully.  If 
further  proof  is  wanted  I'll  bring  up  John." 

"  Oh,  the  children  will  stand  up  for  you,  and  say  anvthing 
you  want  'em  too,  es  far  es  that's  concerned." 

"  Of  course  Mr.  Tom  can't  be  runnin'  to  see  us  every  few 
days,"  said  Little  Hackett.     "  He  has  lots  o'  places  to  go." 

"  There,  do  you  give  in  now?  Besides,  Aunt,  I've  been 
out  West  lately." 

"  I  want  to  know,"  said  Aunt  Rhoda.  The  expression 
"  I  want  to  know"  was  one  of  frequent  use  with  Aunt 
Rhoda.  It  did  not  express  any  special  desire  for  information, 
but  was  merely  a  stock  phrase,  by  means  of  which  she  ex- 
tended her  store  of  ideas,  over  more  space  to  keep  company 
with  her  colloquial  ambition.  Stock  phrases  are  the  ballast 
of  speech.  In  themselves  they  are  of  no  value,  but  they  help 
to  trim  the  bark. 

"  Oh  yes,  took  a  flying  trip  to  Illinois,"  said  Tom. 

"  Tell  us  all  about  it,"  said  Little   Hackett,  who  was  now 


133  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

interested.  He  had  always  had  a  longing  for  travel,  but 
knew  the  utter  impossibility  of  ever  realizing  that  longing, 
with  his  poor  health  and  small  means. 

"That  would  take  too  long, Johnnie.  But  I'll  tell  you 
one  thing.  The  people  out  there  beat  all  creation  for  getting 
around  lively." 

"  I  want  to  know."  Strangers  hearing  this  peculiar 
Yankee  idiom  for  the  first  time,  have  been  known  to  go  into 
the  most  minute  and  tedious  details,  while  they  marveled  in- 
wardly at  the  questioner's  apparently  unappeasable  desire  for 
information.  Tom  knew  better.  He  continued,  with  emphasis: 

"Why  Aunt  Rhoda,  I  tell  you  what,  the  fresh  milk  and 
butter,  the  big  apple  pies,  the  real  sausages,  and  the  pretty 
girls  just  make  my  mouth  water  to  think  of  them." 

"  Why,  Afr.  Thomas,"  exclaimed  Mary.  The  Hacketts 
had  been  so  frequently  at  Mr.  Norwell's  place  of  business, 
where  Tom  was  called  "  Mr.  Tom,"  in  contradistinction  of 
his  father,  who  was  only  "  Mr.  Norwell,"  or  "  Mr.  T.  M."  as 
the  case  might  be,  that  they  insensibly  adopted  the  same  style 
of  address.     Aunt  Rhoda  replied: 

"  Land  sakes,  Mr.  Tom,  I  knew  all  that  before  you  was 
born.  Don't  I ,  know  that  the  keovvs  give  real  milk  in  the 
country,  and  that  sassige  is  made  of  pork?  As  fur  the  girls 
— well  they  was  girls  in  them  days,  but  nowadays  they're 
good  fur  nothing  but  to  put  on  airs.  I  don't  care  a  snap  for 
'em." 

"  Probably  you  liked  their  brothers  better  in  those  da3's. 
Aunt  Rhoda." 

"  I  guess  there  ain't  many  sech  likely  young  men  nowa- 
days either." 

Poor  old  Aunt  Rhoda's  memory  with  a  little  tremor  went 
back  to  one  likely  young  man,  the  pride  of  their  neighbor- 
hood, whose  name  had  been  linked  with  hers  forty  years  ago. 
He  was  accidentally  drowned,  and  her  heart  was  buried  with 
him.  For  years  after  that  the  world  for  her  was  onl}^  a  place 
in  which  to  eat,  sleep,  perform  daily  duties,  and  die.  There 
was  a  pause,  in  which  the  silence  was  broken  only  by  the 
ticking  of  the  old  wooden  clock.  All  present  knew  her  story 
and  divined  her  thoughts.     Presently  she  added : 

"  City  life  isn't  livin'.  A  body  never  gets  a  fresh  bite  or  a 
clean  thing." 

"  Now,  Aunt  Rhoda,  don't  you  go  back  on  the  city,"  said 
Tom. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I33 

"  Folks  keep  rushin'  here  by  the  thousand  to  drudge  out 
their  days.  They'd  a  heap  better  go  a  thousand  miles  the 
other  way." 

"  Somebody  must  live  in  cities,"  said  Mary. 

"  It  must  be  awful  lonesome  in  the  country  a  mile  from 
anywhere,"  added  Little  Hackett.  "  But  I  shouldn't  mind 
that  if  I  could  see  a  new  place  every  day." 

"Everything  is  right  at  hand  in  the  city,"  said  Tom. 
"  You  don't  have  to  wait  for  anything.  If  we  want  straw- 
berries we  don't  have  to  wait  till  they  grow.  We  just  send 
out  and  buy  them." 

Norwell  was  so  used  to  money  that  he  never  thought  of 
admitting  its  non-existence  for  some  people.  He  only  thought 
of  the  non-existence  of  strawberries  in  the  country  out  of 
season.  It  is  very  easy  for  the  millionaire  to  feast  on  straw- 
berries at  two  or  three  dollars  per  quart  in  January,  or  ruin 
his  health  with  ice  all  summer.  Things  for  him  are  veiy 
handy.  For  the  poor  the  chief  things  handy  are  privation, 
toil  and  death.  God  made  this  world  and  its  good  things  for 
all  alike,  black  or  white,  strong  or  weak.  But  a  great  major- 
ity never  come  into  their  inheritance,  either  through  their  own 
improvidence  or  the  insatiable  rapacity  of  those  who  already 
have  much  more  than  they  can  possibly  use.  The  world  has 
steadily  progressed  until  physical  rapine  is  a  thing  of  the  past. 
When  the  rape  of  the  penny  has  ceased,  and  not  till  then, 
will  men  be  free  and  equal.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  the 
Hacketts  asked  Tom  Norwell's  advice  as  to  the  investment  of 
their  little  legacy.  Tom  advised  Continental  &  Pacific 
stock.  It  was  sure  to  go  much  higher,  and  was  a  good  thing 
to  sell  or  keep.  His  father  was  into  it  very  heavily,  and  that 
was  an  evidence  of  what  they  thought  of  the  stock. 

"  If  I  had  only  a  few  thousands  of  my  own  I  could  go  into 
Wall  street  and  make  a  fortune  in  a  month." 

Little  Hackett  took  his  hat  and  walked  a  distance  down 
street  with  Tom  to  talk  the  matter  over  further.  They  had 
not  gone  far  when  they  met  a  woman  carrying  a  large  heavy 
basket.  To  let  them  pass  on  the  narrow  sidewalk  she  stepped 
aside,  but  not  observing  her  whereabouts  tumbled  down  the 
steps  leading  to  a  basement.  Her  cries  indicated  at  once  that 
she  was  seriously  injured.  Tom  sprang  down  the  steps  to 
her  assistance,  while  Hackett  called  to  a  man  who  was  pass- 
ing for  help.  This  man  proved  to  be  an  old  acquaintance  of 
the  Hacketts.     The  three  managed  to  carry  the  woman,  who 


134  An  Iron  croWtJ. 

had  several  very  severe  bruises,  up  the  steps  to  her  own  lodg- 
ings, which  were  near. 

While  they  were  waiting  the  coming  of  a  physician  who 
had  been  sent  for,  Hackett  introduced  his  friend  Wright,  and 
the  talk  about  the  Continental  &  Pacific  was  resumed.  Tom 
was  enthusiastic  on  the  subject,  and  as  a  result  Wright 
expressed  a  desire  to  invest  a  little  money  which  he  had  saved. 
Tom,  handing  him  his  card,  said  that  as  a  personal  favor  to  a 
friend  of  the  Hacketts,  he  could  get  him  a  thousand  or  two 
any  time. 

It  happened  that  Horace  Roker,  who  was  out  taking  an 
evening  stroll,  passed  down  the  other  side  of  the  narrow  street 
and  recognized  Tom  Norwell,  unknown  to  the  latter.  What 
the  thoughts  of  that  gentleman  were  it  is  not  our  province  to 
determine.  Possibly  he  was  mentally  figuring  as  a  great  stock 
operator  in  Wall  street.  Possibly  he  was  indulging  his  fancy 
with  the  picture  of  a  dark-eyed  handsome  wife,  the  daughter 
of  a  man  whose  name  was  on  every  tongue.  If  so,  the  sudden 
appearance  of  Tom  Norwell  must  have  greatly  marred  the 
effect  of  the  picture.  Roker  stepped  hastily  to  the  next 
crossing,  and  whistled  for  a  newsboy  as  if  to  buy  an  evening 
paper.  A  dirty,  ragged  gamin  came  spattering  across  the 
street,  regardless  of  the  muddy  gutters,  in  breathless  haste.  It 
was  our  old  friend  Quill  Malley. 

"  Which  '11  yer  have?     Telergram  er — " 

"  I  want  no  paper.     Do  you  wish  to  earn  a  dollar? 

"  Yes  sir." 

"  I'll  give  you  a  dollar  if  you  will  follow  that  tall  man 
yonder  and  see  if  he  stops  anywhere  down  town.  Keep  your 
eye  on  him.  Then  you  can  call  to-morrow  morning  about  half- 
past  seven  at  that  address,  and  get  another  dollar.  Mind,  you 
are  delivering  papers  too  when  you  call."  As  Roker  said  this  he 
gave  a  frightful  scowl  and  drew  his  scalp  forward  threateningly. 

"  Wot  was  I  doin'.'"' exclaimed  Quill  in  surprise,  as  he 
shrank  back  like  one  half  expecting  a  blow. 

"  No  talking  back.  Stir  yourself,"  and  Roker  slipped  a 
dollar  into  Quill's  hand,  together  with  a  card  on  which  he 
had  written  the  street  and  number  of  his  fashionable  lodgings. 
Quill  was  offlike  a  shot.  Roker  watched  him  round  the  corner, 
then  leisurely  resumed  his  stroll. 

Suddenly  his  revery  was  interrupted  by  the  reappear- 
ance of  Quill  before  him  on  the  sidewalk.  A  look  of  disgust 
was  on  the  boy's  face. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I35 

"  Hyur,  Mister,  take  back  yer  dollar." 

"Why  didn't  you  do  my  errand  as  I  told  you?"  asked 
Roker  with  a  menacing  scowl,  as  his  thin  lips  worked  a  little 
with  suppressed  anger. 

"  Please  sir,  I  did.  I  knowed  that  feller,  an'  I  don't  care 
about  makin'  a  dollar  watchin'  him.'' 

"What!  You  know  him?  Don't  lie  to  me,  you  little 
scamp,"  and  he  made  a  move  as  if  to  sjrike  Quill,  who  he 
saw  was  a  thorough  coward.  Quill  judiciously  backed  off  a 
little  distance  before  replying,  and  then  said  doggedly: 

"  Tell  yer  I  do.     He  knows  a  friend  o' mine." 

*'  Does  he  ?  "  said  Roker,  with  a  sneer. 

"Yes,  me'n  Pipe  goes  to  Sunday  school,  an'  Mr.  Norwell 
knows  our  teacher." 

"  Who  is  your  friend  Pipe?  " 

'■'•Friend!  He's  no  friend.  He's  my  brother.  I'm  twins 
'n  so's  he." 

"  Ah,  indeed !  And  you're  not  lying  to  me?  "  asked  Roker, 
with  another  very  uncomfortable  flourish  of  his  cane.  Quill 
shrank  clear  back  against  the  wall,  and  remonstrated  against 
this  insinuation  that  he  was  lying.  When  he  remembered  his 
numerous  fiiilings  in  this  particular,  he  thought  it  very  hard 
that  genuine  truth,  told  too  at  the  expense  of  a  dollar,  should 
be  discredited.    This  was  small  inducement  to  veracity. 

"  Deed,  Sir,  Pm  tellin'  the  truth,  as  I  never  hope  to  draw 
another  livin'  breath." 

"  Do  you  know  what  Pd  do  to  you  if  you  lied  to  me?  " 
And  Roker  stepped  forward  a  little  while  Quill  shrank  closer 
to  the  wall. 

"  I  'spose  you'd  cane  me  within  an  inch  o'  my  life."  Quill 
had  often  heard  his  mother  threaten  this  dire  punishment, 
which  she  had  never  yet  inflicted.  Here  was  a  man  whom  he 
believed  only  too  willing  to  do  it  from  the  very  pleasure  to  be 
derived  from  the  exercise. 

"  Young  man,  you've  guessed  it  exactly.  What  else  do 
you  think  I  might  do?" 

"  I  guess  you'd  cut  a  feller  an'  never  have  nothin'  more  to 
do  with  him." 

"  Worse  than  that,"  said  Roker,  with  his  cynical  smile. 
Quill  now  began  to  feel  that  if  there  was  anything  worse  in 
store  than  a  vigorous  caning,  he  preferred  to  be  rid  of  such 
disagreable  company.  He  would  have  cut  and  run  at  once, 
only   he  really  believed   the  sinister,  scowling   man  with   the 


136  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

movable  scalp  to  be  capable  of  overtaking  him  and  caning 
him  on  the  public  street.  He  had  heard  of  such  things  hap- 
pening to  inen^  and  he  w^as  only  a  boy.  Here  was  a  man 
who  could  do  it,  he  believed.  Quill  dropped  the  dollar  on 
the  sidewalk. 

"  Please,  mister,  take  yer  money  an'  leave  me  go." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I'd  do,"  said  Roker,  dropping  his 
voice  and  assuming  a  manner  most  distressingly  confidential. 
"  I'd  just  have  you  sent  up  for  six  months.  I'm  a  friend  of 
the  Chief  of  Police."  Now  Quill  was  thoroughly  terrified. 
He  knew  by  experience  what  a  police  court  was.  A  caning 
would  no  doubt  be  very  disagreeable,  but  it  was  soon  over. 
Six  months  was  next  to  eternity  to  him. 

"  Say,  mister,  please  don't  be  hard  on  a  kid.  Wot's  the 
use?  I  didn't  ask  fur  yer  money.  There  it  is.  Take  it, 
and  leave  me  go  home." 

"What's  your  name?" 

"Quill  M alley." 

"  Where  do  you  live  ?" 

"  Eighty-six  Cinnamon  Street." 

"And  you're  not  lying?"  This  was  accompanied  by 
another  slight  movement,  as  if  about  to  pounce  on  his  victim. 

"  I  hope  I  may  die  in  my  tracks  if  I  am." 

"  Now,  Quill,  you  may  keep  that  dollar,  and  I  shall  not 
ask  you  to  follow  Tom  Norwell  this  time.  Only  keep  your 
eye  open,  and  if  you  see  him  down  town  notice  where  he 
stops  and  who  is  with  him.  You  can  find  me  at  the  address 
on  that  card.  Don't  forget  the  number,  and  don't  forget  you 
are  delivering  papers  when  you  call.  I  guess  you'll  not  for- 
get, will  you?" 

"  No,  sir,  I  spect  I'll  not,"  and,  finding  himself  free,  Quill 
darted  round  the  corner,  immensely  relieved. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

MISS    HARRIE    SNICKER    ORGANIZES    A    PICNIC    WHICH    IS    BY 
NO    MEANS    "  COMMON." 

The  brilliant  season  has  ended  in  the  metropolis  of  the 
Western  Continent.  The  long  succession  of  balls,  recep- 
tions, dinners,  theater  parties,  opera,  and  all  the  innumerable 
lesser  devices  of  the  gay  and  fashionable  to  kill  time,  is  at 
last  ended,  and  the  exhausted  devotees  of  society  are  taking 
a  breathing  spell  before  renew^ing  their  diversions  at  the  swell 
summer  resorts. 

Miss  Harrie  Snicker  had  planned  a  quiet  picnic  up  the 
Hudson  for  one  of  the  unusually  pleasant  June  days.  Miss 
Ingledee  was  to  assist  in  the  arrangements,  including  sug- 
gestions as  to  the  persons  to  be  invited.  Garmand  stood  at 
the  very  head  of  the  list.  Miss  Harrie  had  improved  every 
possible  opportunity  of  cultivating  his  acquaintance,  for  she 
argued  that  an  Englishman  who  was  distantly  related,  by 
courtesy  or  otherwise,  to  a  live  lord  was  next  best  thing,  pro- 
vided one  could  not  get  the  lord  himself.  Garmand  had 
spent  the  winter  industriously  studying  this  delightfully  prim- 
itive country  in  the  rustic  localities  of  fashionable  New  York. 
As  the  heads  of  these  people  were  usually  filled  with  nothing 
but  society  doings,  he  still  had  something  to  learn  about 
America,  particularly  the  wild  tribes  of  Indiana,  Illinois  and 
other  savage  regions  of  the  West.  Tom  Norwell,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  was  a  necessity  on  such  an  occasion.  Mr.  Bi-ad- 
ley,  the  young  gentleman  who  so  gallantly  rescued  Harrie 
from  the  dangers  of  being  run  over  in*the  street,  was  also  to 
be  invited.  Harrie  suggested  that  he  would  be  so  handy 
when  the  lemonade  was  to  be  made. 

That  young  man  had  been  pursuing  his  one  great  object 
in  life  under  difficulties.  His  object,  I  will  repeat,  was  to 
discover  how  nearly  a  young  man  may  transform  himself  in- 
tellectually into  the  missing  link  of  Darwinism,  without  losing 
his  identity  as  a  man.     The  transformation  was  to  be  accom- 

(137) 


138  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

plished  by  means  of  ultra  fashionable  dress,  ultra  fashionable 
manners,  insipid  associations  and  systematic  snubbing  of  any 
persons  who  chanced  to  possess  common  sense.  After  the 
disaster  alluded  to  heretofore  he  was,  for  a  time,  under  a 
cloud.  He,  like  many  unfortunate  young  ladies,  had  nothing 
to  wear,  and  his  tailor  was  a  stony-hearted  wretch  who 
required  a  heavy  deposit  on  orders  and  the  balance  before  the 
goods  left  the  shop.  On  learning  of  the  accident  Snicker, 
Senior,  had  inclosed  a  check  for  one  hundred  dollars  to  Brad- 
ley, accompanied  by  a  brief  note  regretting  that  the  young 
man  was  not  an  acquaintance  of  the  family  so  that  he  might 
call  and  receive  their  thanks  personally. 

Although  Bradley  had  met  Miss  Snicker  on  several  occa- 
sions, and  had  called  on  her  two  or  three  times,  it  seemed 
that  the  practical  father  did  not  consider  him  an  acquaintance. 
According  to  the  elder  Snicker's  ideas,  acquaintance  was  a  very 
substantial  sort  of  entity  that  required  for  its  development  some- 
thing more  tangible  than  merely  meeting  a  few  times,  making 
a  few  calls,  and  bowing  on  the  street.  In  his  mind,  acquain- 
tance was  for  some  reason  indissolubly  associated  with  a  bank 
account.  In  a  rage  Bradley  returned  the  check  without  a 
line  of  comment.  He  negotiated  a  loan  from  a  friend.  The 
society  young  man  of  this  class  is  a  wonderful  financier.  He 
is  a  veritable  Jolin  Law  in  the  matter  of  floating  paper,  and 
is  forever  negotiating  a  loan,  putting  up  as  collateral  his 
expectations  of  a  remittance  next  week.  Bradley's  loan  with 
ten  days  to  run  was  successfully  put  on  the  market  (his 
friend),  and  he  was  soon  arrayed  in  suitable  attire,  and  ready 
to  devote  himself  to  the  purpose  of  his  life.  That  he  never 
redeemed  his  I  O  U  had  nothing  to  do  with  that  purpose, 
except  to  follow  as  a  consequence. 

Chetta  suggested  that  Roker  be  invited  for  a  reason  some- 
thing in  the  line  of  that  which  applied  to  Bradley, — Roker 
would  make  a  capital  refrigerator,  she  said  with  a  laugh. 
Other  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  invited  to  the  num- 
ber of  six  or  eight  couples  in  all.  Delicate  and  very  expen- 
sive lunch  was  provided,  also  archery  implements,  swings  and 
other  means  of  amusement.  The  party  were  to  take  a 
Hudson  River  boat  early  in  the  forenoon,  and  return  in  the 
evening. 

While  Alice  was  making  her  toilet  for  this  occasion,  Tom 
Norwell  sat  in  the  library  conversing  with  his  father.  Tom 
referred  to  the  wonderful    progress  of  the  West.     He  grew 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I39 

enthusiastic  over  the  scenes  he  had  witnessed  at  the  sessions  of 
tlie  Chicago  Board  of  Trade.  He  had  been  greatly  amused 
at  beholdingf  the  shoutinof,  gesticulatinsf,  strusforHnsr  mass  of 
operators,  who  crowded  around  the  wheat  and  corn  pits,  and 
whose  conduct  at  times  suggested  the  scenes  which  tradition 
ascribes  to  a  Donnybrook  fair.  Tom  thought  there  was 
mucli  money  to  be  made,  and  he  should  like  to  try  his  hand 
before  others  got  it  all. 

"There's  plenty  of  time,  Thomas.  There  will  be  money 
made  long  after  we  are  both  in  our  graves.''' 

"I  am  more  interested  in  what  is  to  be  made  before  that, 
father.     I  am  losing  time." 

"  Not  while  3'^ou  abstain  from  speculation.  That  is  one 
of  the  greatest  curses  of  our  day.  Shun  it  as  you  would 
shun  a  plague." 

"You've  dipped  into  it,  millions  deep."  Mr.  Norwell 
moved  uneasily  in  his  chair. 

"  My  investments  are  hardly  in  the  nature  of  a  specula- 
tion, Thomas." 

If  Tom  Norwell  had  been  a  trifle  more  observant  he 
might  have  noticed  that  his  father  did  not  speak  with  the 
same  confident  tone  in  which  he  had  heretofore  referred  to 
his  stock  investments.  Continental  &  Pacific  had  gradu- 
ally mounted  by  easy  steps  to  sixty-eight,  which  left  Mr. 
Norwell  a  profit  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  dollars 
on  his  forty  thousand  shares  of  stock  bought  at  sixty-one, 
and  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  dollars  on  ten  thousand 
shares  bought  at  fifty-five,  in  all,  four  hundred  and  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.  This  was  a  clear  profit  made  in  a  few  months, 
without  the  expenditure  of  a  single  day's  labor,  or,  in  fact, 
without  an  effort  of  any  kind. 

Is  it  surprising  that  with  such  gains  men  should  rush  into 
this  modern  species  of  gambling  transacted  under  the  guise 
of  legitimate  business?  To  bet  what  the  price  of  wheat ^or  a 
given  kind  of  stocks  will  be  next  month  differs  no  wise  in 
principle  from  betting  whether  the  next  card  issuing  from  a 
faro  dealer's  little  box  will  be  a  king  or  a  queen.  The  only 
difference  between'  the  two  is  that  public  opinion  has  un- 
wisely pronounced  the  one  reputable,  while  it  has  wisely 
branded  the  other  disreputable.  One  is  called  business,  and  is 
genteel;  the  other  is  called  gambling, and  has  a  certain  odium 
attached  to  it.  Both  have  an  irresistible  fascination  for  their 
victims.       Both  are  widespread,  the  genteel    form  widest  by 


140  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

far,  and  both  yearly  carry  desolation  to  thousands  of  happy 
homes.  Many  a  man  who  fails  in  business  without  apparent 
cause,  many  a  family  who  without  visible  reasons  leave  a  cosy 
home  to  dwell  in  a  shanty  can  trace  their  ruin  to  this  uni- 
versal mania  for  speculative  gambling.  It  is  a  national  vice 
which  is  consuming  not  only  the  means,  but  the  morals  of  the 
American  people.* 

Every  shining  dollar  has  within  its  surface  an  enchanted 
mirror.  Viewed  from  the  proper  angle  it  gives  forth  beauti- 
ful images  of  peace  and  domestic  bliss.  Turned  but  a  hair- 
breadth from  its  true  position  it  reflects  the  images  of  alluring 
sirens  who  lead  men  to  destruction,  some  to  the  spendthrift's 
riot,  some  to  the  miser's  rags,  while  others  are  turned  to  men 
of  stone,  whose  cold,  pitiless  eyes  stare  forever  fixed  on  gold, 
and  their  hollow  voices  hoarsely  echo  without  ceasing.  Give, 
give,  give.     After  a  pause  Tom  added: 

"  It  looks  to  me  like  speculation." 

"  No  matter  how  it  looks,  my  son.  Avoid  it  if  you  would 
retain  peace  of  mind  and  self-respect.  Make  money  slowly. 
During  the  first  ten  years  I  was  in  business  I  made  only  ten 
thousand  dollars.  In  the  next  ten  I  made  one  hundred  thou- 
sand. Then  money  flowed  in  freely  of  itself.  My  son,  never 
under  any  circumstances  become  a  stock  or  grain  speculator. 
As  you  value  honor  and  that  integrity  which  is  far  above 
gold,  avoid  it.  It  will  curse  you  forever."  Perhaps  there 
was  a  trifle  of  feeling  in  Mr.  Norwell's  tone.  At  any  rate 
Tom  looked  at  his  father  in  surprise,  and  exclaimed: 

"  Why,  father,  one  would  think  that  you  had  been  badly 
caught  yourself," 

In  truth,  Mr.  Norwell  was  uneasy.  For  several  days  there 
had  been  vague  rumors  that  the  mountain  portions  of  the  Con- 
tinental &  Pacific  would  take  a  mint  of  money  lo  build;  that 
the  vast  expenses  there  would  more  than  consume  all  the 
profits  of  the  level  portions  which  the  government  subsidies 
sufficed  to  build.  It  was  said  that  the  company  were  in  straits 
for  money,  though  how  that  could  be  it  was  difficult  to  see. 
At  any  rate  the  rumor  grew  and  excited  distrust.  C.  &  P. 
stock  declined. 

"  Oh  no,  Thomas,  I  never  was  bitten  that  way  in  my  life. 
But  as  an  illustration  of  what  I  was  saying  our  stock  declined 
yesterday  two  cents." 

♦Note  5.— Fictitious  sales  of  petroleum. 


AN    IROX    CROWN.  141 

"No!"  exclaimed  Tom  In  astonishment. 

"That  lessens  the  profits  just  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars." 

"  Sell  out." 

"No,  I  hardly  think  I  shall  do  that.  Ophir  advises  me  to 
hold  on.  He  says  the  report  about  the  mountain  sections  is 
only  talk  manufactured  to  hurt  the  company,  and  started  by 
other  transportation  interests  which  are  jealous  of  us." 

"  Can  you  rely  on  Ophir?" 

"  Certainly!     He  is  an  old  and  tried   friend." 

"  Tlien  if  he  says  it's  all  riglit  what's  the  use  of  worrying? 
His  opinion  is  worth  more  than  that  of  any  other  man,  unless 
it  be  Ingledee's." 

"  Of  course  I  am  not  situated  so  as  to  get  any  inside  opin- 
ion from  Ingledee.  I  think  I  shall  watch  the  street  to-day." 
So  saying,  Mr.  Norwell  left  the  room.  He  had  hardly  gone 
before  a  servant  announced  that  "  Little  Hackett "  wished  to 
see  him  or  Mr.  Tom.  Hackett  was  at  once  shown  in.  After 
a  few  preliminaries  he  remarked: 

"  I've  brouglit  my  money,  Mi\  Tom.  There's  a  thou- 
sand dollars.  Just  got  it  from  the  bank  yesterday.  If  it  does 
well,  Mary  will  put  her  thousand  into  something  of  the 
sort." 

"  I'm  going  up  the  Hudson  to  a  picnic,  Hackett.  But  I'll 
write  a  note  to  Robinson,  in  Ophir's  office,  and  ask  him  to  ar- 
range tlie  matter  for  you.  You  ought  to  double  your  money 
in  a  month." 

The  note  was  written,  and  Hackett's  pale  face  lighted 
with  a  gleam  of  pleasure.  He  was  going  to  put  all  he  pos- 
sessed in  the  world  into  a  place  where  it  would  double  in  a 
month.  At  that  rate  he  would  be  a  rich  man  in  two  or  three 
years.  Then  he  would  satisfy  the  dream  of  his  life  by  travel- 
ing to  distant  lands,  whose  marvelous  climate  and  healing 
waters  would  infuse  new  life  into  his  moribund  frame.  He 
would  return  healthy,  happy  and  with  stores  of  useful  knowl- 
edge acquired  in  strange  lands.  Even  the  poor,  the  weak,  the 
deformed,  can  dream  as  well  as  the  best  of  us. 

It  was  a  jolly  company  that  took  possession  of  a  grassy 
slope,  shaded  by  plenty  of  trees,  on  the  bank  of  that  most 
beautiful  of  American  rivers,  the  Hudson.  They  had  all  the 
requisites  for  a  happy  day,  including  good  health,  good  temper 
and  high  spirits.  Every  little  accessory  to  the  occasion  which 
money  could  buy  was  there.     When  poor  people  start  out  for 


142 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


a  good  time  much  of  the  pleasure  of  the  occasion  must  be  de- 
rived from  their  convicing  themselves  that  they  are  really  sat- 
isfied with  what  they  have.  To  the  rustic  who  has  never 
seen  anything  refined  this  is  easy  enough.  But  to  the  poor 
person  who  has  lived  beside  affluent  neighbors,  and  has  in- 
sensibly acquired  many  of  their  tastes  by  observation,  this 
feeling  of  satisfaction  comes  hard,  if  it  comes  at  all.  While 
he  ought  to  be  enjoying  himself  his  pleasure  is  marred  by  the 
unpleasant  reflection  that  after  all  he  cannot  afford  it.  Philoso- 
phy is  commonly  supposed  to  ameliorate  poverty.  But  to 
enable  a  person  to  discover  real  pleasure  in  privation,  or  to  see 
how  ten  to  sixteen  hours  per  da}'  unmitigated  labor  may  be- 
come man's  chiefest  blessing,  requires  an  amount  of  philoso- 
phy seldom  possessed,  except  by  persons  of  an  assured  in- 
come, who,  unfortunately  for  the  theory,  do  not  need  it  for 
economic  purposes. 

All  who  were  invited  to  the  picnic  had  come,  though 
Bradley  was  obliged  to  negotiate  a  small  loan,  his  room-mate 
in  this  instance  being  the  Rothschild  who  advanced  the  funds. 
Frederick  Snicker  was  there,  altliough  it  would  not  have  been 
surprising  had  the  state  of  his  health  detained  him  at  home. 
He  had  lately  experienced  a  trouble  compared  with  which  the 
affair  of  Luseba  Aplington  was  not  worthy  of  mention. 

"  Tom,  old  chap,  do  you  know,  I've  been  vewy  uncomfort- 
able all  week." 

"  What's  the  matter  now.  Snicker?    Another  love  affair?" 

"  Now,  Mr.  Norwell,  weally,  I  hardly  expected  this  of  you. 
'Pon  my  word  this  is  abwupt.  Sir,  I  consider  that  abwupt." 
Having  given  utterance  to  this  momentous  decision  he  threw 
his  head  back  a  little  and  bent  his  cane  viciously  with  both 
hands.  His  action  was  a  genteel,  but  very,  very  mild  coun- 
terfeit of  those  of  the  bellicose  Hibernian  who  has  an  imag- 
inary chip  on  his  shoulder  which  everybody  declines  to 
see. 

"  Beg  pardon,  Snicker,"  said  Tom  laughing.  "Everybody 
knows,  of  course,  that  you  are  a  tremendous  fellow  with  the 
gnrls,  but  I  suppose  I  shouldn't  have  mentioned  it  publicly. 
Still  Pve  always  thought,"  continued  Tom,  in  a  half-confi- 
dential tone,  "  that  your  little  affairs  of  the  heart  would  get 
you  into  trouble  sometime." 

"  Oh,  it's  all  right,  Mr.  Norwell.  Of  course  you  meant 
no  harm,"  replied  Snicker,  well  pleased  by  the  allusion  to  his 
ravages  among  female  hearts.      He  was  evidently  considered 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I43 

a  dangerous  fellow,  for  hadn't  Silas  Ingledee  and  Tom  Nor- 
well  both  told  him  so. 

"  May  I  inquire  the  nature  of  the  trouble  you  allude  to, 
Mr.  Snicker?" 

"  Oh,  ceitainly,  with  pleasure.  You  see  I  have  a  wegulah 
wotation  of  perfumes  for  each  day  in  the  week — Jockey 
Club  for  Monday,  Patchouly  for  Tuesday,  Ylang  on  Wednes- 
day, and  so  on.  In  that  way  the  odohs  get  delightfully  con- 
fused, you  know,  and  overlap  each  other  like  the  colors  of  the 
wainbow.  It  gives  a  kind  of  ecstatic  what-the-deuce-is-it  sort 
of  odoh,  you  know,  that  is  chawmingly  confusing  and  excites 
cuwiosity.  Then  it's  weally  quite  a  study  to  discover  if  3'ou 
cawn't  catch  a  little  of  Monday's  Jockey  Club  hanging  round 
till  Wednesday,  overlapping  Patchouly  clear  onto  Ylang 
Ylang.     Did  you  ever  try  that,  Mr.  Norwell?" 

«  i  don't  think  I  could  do  it." 

"No?  Weally?  Well,  it  does  requiah  practice.  But  as 
I  was  going  to  say  I  got  Wednesday's  perfume  by  mistake  on 
Tuesday.  That  put  the  whole  week  out  of  joint,  and  I'm 
afraid  next  week  will  hardly  straighten  it  out." 

"  That's  too  bad.  You  ought  to  put  the  day  of  the  week 
on  each  bottle  on  a  plain  label." 

"  I  do,  but  you  see  I  made  a  doocid  bad  break,  and  forgot 
the  day  of  the  week." 

Everybody  was  laughing,  talking,  and  having  a  jolly  time. 
Chetta  Ingledee's  rosy  cheeks  and  sparkling  black  eyes  pro- 
claimed her  supremely  happy.  Alice  Norwell,  usually  so 
sedate,  was  as  playful  as  a  kitten.  Miss  Snicker's  laugh  rang 
out  continuously.  Somehow,  it  had  very  little  depth  to  it, 
but  its  length  was  apparently  interminable.  Some  of  the 
young  gentlemen  were  retailing  the  superannuated  jokes  which 
they  had  kept  carefully  packed  away  and  neatly  labeled 
"  Suitable  for  the  society  of  ladies."  Some  of  the  young  men 
and  young  ladies,  too,  had  the  very  latest,  smartest,  brightest 
bon  mots  which  they  handled  in  a  way  that  reminded  one  of 
children  playing  with  edged  tools. 

Bradley' and  another  young  man,  both  of  whom  were  in- 
vited to  be  useful,  were  adjusting  a  swing,  and  getting  ready 
for  croquet.  Mr.  Roker  was,  with  unparalleled  levity  for  him, 
making  lemonade  under  Chetta's  superintendence,  and  irn- 
pi"oving  the  time,  if  not  the  drink,  by  engaging  in  continuous 
conversation,  repeatedly  punctuated  by  his  ugly  laugh,  that 
sounded  remarkably  like  a  snarl,  in  spite  of  the  fact   tliat  he 


144  ^^    IRON    CROWX. 

had  all  the  stops  of  his  humor  on  at  full  blast.  Miss  Harrie 
Snicker  Avas  bustling  everywhere  and  doing  nothing.  Rush- 
ing up  to  Garmand,  she  exclaimed: 

"!MyLord!  excuse  me."  She  added,  with  a  becoming 
little  blush:  "I  mean,  Air.  Garmand.  Can't  you  assist  the 
ladies  in  setting  the  table?" 

"Oh!  aw — now — don't  ask — with  pleasure,"  he  replied, 
with  a  very  low  bow.  "  You  couldn't  put  me  at  any  more 
agreeable  occupation,  you  know." 

The  table  was  soon  spread,  or  rather  the  repast  was  placed 
on  the  tablecloths,  which  were  laid  on  the  clean,  fresh  grass 
under  the  thickest  shade.  An  occasional  ray  of  sunlight 
strayed  through  the  waving  branches,  and  danced  and  flick- 
ered over  the  tempting  viands  as  if  it  would  seize  them  for  its 
own.  Now  it  darted  into  the  pickles,  then  onto  the  cake,  next 
it  made  the  deep  color  of  an  orange  glow  with  a  ruddier  hue. 
It  was  that  delightful  sort  of  guest  which  brings  good  cheer, 
tastes  everything,  and  consumes  nothing.  All  heartily  en- 
joyed the  repast  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  red  ants  got  into  the 
sandvviches,  and  black  ants  into  the  pies,  and  a  daddy-long- 
legs stuck  hopelessly  on  top  of  the  jelly  in  ludicrous  helpless- 
ness, like  a  child  stuck  in  deep  mud.  The  child  may  blubber 
and  get  out  with  the  sacrifice  of  his  shoes.  The  daddy-long- 
legs is  obliged  to  leave  some  of  his  superfluous  limbs  which, 
perhaps,  he  doesn't  miss  greatly. 

The  only  incident  that  interrupted  the  flow  of  festivity, 
was  a  huge  black  spider,  with  an  aldermanic  body  and  an  ab- 
normal development  of  legs,  which  darted  under  the  folds  of 
one  of  the  young  ladies'  skirts.  There  was  a  chorus  of 
•screams,  a  great  rustling  of  drapery,  and  the  agile  limbs  of 
several  maidens  transferred  their  fair  possessors  suddenly  to 
the  top  of  a  mossy  log,  a  point  of  vantage  where  no  spider 
would  care  to  venture.  The  daring  aggressor  was  never  seen 
again,  and  the  festivity  was  resumed.  A  picnic  is  enjoyable 
chiefly  because  it  is  a  picnic,  and  not  from  any  occult  machinery 
within  it  for  producing  happiness.  As  spiders  and  bugs 
cause  a  lively  remembrance  of  the  fact  that  a  picnic  is  going 
on,thev  must  in  the  natural  logic  of  events  contribute  greatly 
to  the  pleasures  of  the  occasion.  Doubtless,  this  is  the  reason 
why  picnickers  always  select  a  locality  prolific  in  insects. 

After  dinner  some  swung,  some  gossiped,  some  strolled, 
some  talked  soft  things  at  the  foot  of  the  great  trees,  others 
romped  with  zest.     Since  they  were  not  under  the  eagle  eye 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I45 

of  Propriety,  nearly  all  flirted  assiduously.  Tender  words 
which  seemed  almost  to  presage  tender  declarations,  fell  on 
the  ears  of  willing  maidens  like  the  sweet  honey  dew  on  the 
fresh  leaves  of  the  forest.  The  sentiments  were  sweet,  and, 
though  they  meant  nothing,  as  both  parties  fully  realized, 
they  served  as  an  excellent  practice  in  the  art  of  refined  flirt- 
ing which  has  reached  ^^uch  a  high  state  of  perfection  nowa- 
davs  among  people  of  leisure. 

When  the  noonday  sun  had  somewhat  spent  its  forces  it 
was  decided  that  all  should  go  boating.  At  the  blast  of  a  tiny 
silver  trumpet  the  party  reassembled,  interrupting  several 
very  interesting  tete-a-tetes.  Some  of  the  boats  were  just 
large  enough  for  two,  others  would  hold  an  entire  part)'. 
Those  which  held  two  were  in  great  demand.  In  fact,  Tom 
Norwell  and  a  few  other  gentlemen  had.  hired  theirs  quietly 
first  thing  on  entering  the  grounds  that  morning.  Roker 
would  have  given  a  great  deal  could  he  have  had  Chetta  in 
one  of  these  boats  all  to  himself.  But  he  was  too  good  a  gen- 
eral to  challenge  his  enemy  to  combat  when  the  advantage 
was  all  on  the  other  side.  He  suspected  that  Tom  and  Chetta 
already  had  an  understanding  on  the  subject  of  the  boat. 
Roker  had  established  confidential  relations  with  her  over  the 
lemonade,  and  had  even  managed  to  get  his  fingers  tangled 
up  with  hers,  opening  a  package  of  sugar.  She  had  been 
frank,  and  almost  gracious.  He  would  not  spoil  all  that  by  at- 
tempting too  much.  He  was  right  in  his  surmises,  for  Tom 
appropriated  Chetta  as  a  matter  of  course.  He  did  it  as  easily 
and  naturally  as  a  robin  would  appropriate  your  early  cher- 
ries.    Aren't  cherries  made  to  be  eaten? 

In  spite  of  Roker's  philosophy  and  his  determination  to 
bide  his  time,  his  heart  gave  a  great  bound  that  sent  the 
surging  blood  in  volumes  which  threatened  to  suffocate  him. 
A  biting  i^ang  of  jealousy  shot  for  an  instant  over  him,  that 
maddening,  unendurable  sort  of  jealousy  which  springs  from 
a  feeling  that  a  rival  is  preferred,  and  that  your  claim  is  in 
reality  exceedingly  poor,  while  apparently  your  chance  is 
equal  with  his.  His  face  showed  color  in  spite  of  himself,  and 
his  scalp  darted  forward,  but  instantly  resumed  its  place.  He 
turned  quickly  away  to  look  at  the  boats,  and  in  a  moment  was 
the  same  dignified,  polished  icicle  as  before. 

Miss  Snicker  had  managed  to  secure  "  My  Lord  "  Gar- 
mand,  and  was  exceedingly  happy.  Bradley  had  been  very 
attentive  to  her;  had  peeled  her  orange  at  dinner,  and  taken 


146  AN    IRON    CROWN, 

a  little  stroll  with  her  in  search  of  wild  flowers.  Though 
without  any  heart,  she  still  had  a  little  conscience,  and  she 
felt  that  something  was  due  to  her  preserver.  But  after  all, 
what  right  had  a  twenty -dollar  clerk  to  presume?  Indeed,  if 
it  wasn't  for  his  exquisite  complexion  and  splendid  manners, 
and  handiness  to  fetch  and  carry,  he  would  be  disgustingly 
common.  He  ought  to  know  enough  to  keep  his  place.  It's 
all  well  enough  to  fall  in  love,  that  is  very  nice,  but  to  pre- 
sume is  quite  another  thing.  Thus  reasoned  the  woman 
whom  Bradley  thought  most  of.  Miss  Snicker  felt  it  incum- 
bent on  herself  as  projector  of  the  party  to  see  that  every- 
thing went  off  smoothly. 

"Mr.  Bradley,  will  you  please  enter  a  large  boat.-*  I 
know  you  are  the  best  boatman  in  the  party,  and  should  be 
where  your  services  will  do  most  good."  Half  angry  at  the 
compliment  with  which  he  was  dismissed,  Bradley  entered 
the  large  boat  with  Roker,  Alice  Norwell  and  others. 

Garmand  and  Miss  vSnicker  were  gliding  smoothly  over 
the  clear  water  before  his  easy  English  stroke.  It  was  much 
easier  to  manage  the  boat  than  to  manage  his  companion. 
When  a  man  devotes  a  lifetime  of  study  to  one  subject  he  is 
called  a  specialist.  Miss  Snicker  was  apparently  a  specialist, 
for  her  talk  ran  chiefly  on  the  relative  merits  of  clam  pie, 
fried  oysters  and  lobster  salad,  the  thrilling  rythms  of  the 
lancers  and  other  fashionable  dances,  or  the  latest  thing  at  the 
milliners  and  dressmakers,  which,  of  course,  a  horrid  man  knew 
nothing  about.  Literature,  art,  music,  she  knew  so  little  of, 
that  she  had  sense  enough  to  avoid  them.  She  wished  to 
appear  well  in  his  eyes.  He  was  anxious  to  switch  the  con- 
versation off  in  a  direction  that  might  arouse  a  trifle  of  in- 
tex'est.  She  had  already  told  him  half  a  dozen  times  on  pre- 
vious occasions  that  she  was  passionately  fond  of  clam  pie. 
He  was  not  liable  to  forget  that.  He  wished  to  localize  an- 
other idea  center,  and  remarked: 

"  This  spot  is  delightfully  primitive.  I  suppose  there  are 
Indians  further  back  in  the  hills?" 

"_No,  I  guess  not.  I  think  there  are  none  closer  than 
Niagara  Falls." 

"  Do  they  ever — aw — scalp  tourists?  I  was  reading  this 
morning  that  a  scalper  was  arrested  somewhere  out  West." 

"  No,  they  only  peddle  beads  and  moccasins." 

"  Ah,  they  are  of  a  mercenary  turn  of  mind.  How  sad  to 
see  this  simple  son  of  the  forest  become  avaricious." 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  1 47 

"  Oh,  I  think,  Mr.  Garmand,  they  are  perfectly  liorrid.  I 
can't  bear  the  sight  of  one.  Please  don't  mention  the  dread- 
ful creatures." 

"  Suggests  tales  of  cawnage,"  hastily  replied  Garmand. 
"Beg  pardon  most  humbly,  Miss  Snickeh,  for  mentioning 
a  disagreeable  subject."  He  scarcely  knew  what  to  say 
next.  This  young  lady  was  incapable  of  talking  about  any- 
thing unpleasant  or  common.  She  had  no  subjects  of  her 
own  to  suggest.  Yet  she  wished  to  appear  well  in  his  eyes, 
and  was  afraid  that  she  had  offended  him.  She  suddenly  had 
a  brilliant  idea.  She  would  talk  about  Europe.  That"  was  not 
common.     She  began: 

"England  must  be  a  great  deal  nicer  than  this  country, 
isn't  it,  Mr.  Garmand?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  to  be  sure."  This  was  so  much  a  matter  of 
course  that  he  seemed  surprised  at  her  mentioning  it. 

"  It  must  be  just  too  exquisite  for  anything,"  she  went  on. 
"  Only  think  of  the  lords  and  ladies  and  dukes  and  earls  and 
balls  and  parties  and  things."  The  word  thing  is  a  very  con- 
venient one  to  bridge  a  chasm  in  a  train  of  thought.  In  this 
case  it  stood  for  all  the  elegant  details  of  English  high  life. 

"  It  is  unequaled  elsewhere  in  the  world,"  he  replied  with 
true  English  feeling  of  superiority. 

"Oh,  I  do  wish  I  could  live  there.  This  country  is  so 
common."  Then  Miss  Snicker  blushed  a  little  in  spite  of 
herself,  for  she  had  unconsciously  betrayed  a  secret  wish  of 
her  heart.     He,  however,  did  not  appear  to  notice  it. 

"Of  course  this  country  is  common,"  he  admitted  in  a  tone 
which  implied  it  was  pitiably  common,  "  but  then  you  see  it 
is  a  delightful  study.  Everything  is  so  absurdly  fresh,  you 
know,  right  from  nature,  and  so  very  easy  got  at.  I 
almost  wish  I  was  a  poet  or  a  painter.  Have  half  a  mind 
to  become  one  or  the  other,  just  to  take  the  thing  in 
properly." 

"  It  must  be  exquisitely  delightful  to  associate  with  lords 
and  earls  and  dukes  and  duchesses.  Only  think!  no  danger 
of  meeting  any  disagreeable  people."  Suddenly  she  queried  : 
"Mr.  Garmand,  how  do  you  tell  a  duke  from  an  earl?"  She 
spoke  of  them  as  if  they  had  been  newly-discovered  animals, 
without  the  advantage  of  having  been  frequently  pictured  in 
boo^is.     Hence  her  question  was  a  pertinent  one. 

"  That's  very  easy,  indeed,"  he  replied. 

"  But  ho-w^  I'd  like  to  know," 


I4S  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Well,  you  see,  you  must  know  the  earl  or  the  duke,  you 
know." 

"  Is  that  all  ?  Don't  they  have  any  badges  or  stripes  or 
marks  about  them?" 

"  They're  much  like  other  men,  save  the  lordly  air, 
you  know."  As  God  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  making  of 
dukes  and  earls,  contrary  to  Miss  Snicker's  opinion,  these 
noble  productions  of  royalty  can  not  be  easily  distinguished 
at  all  times  from  common  clay. 

"  I've  coaxed  pa  to  let  Freddie  and  me  go  to  Europe,  but 
he  says  it's  no  use  till  we  get  older  and  have  seen  more  of 
this  country.  But  don't  you  sometimes  get  the  nobility  all 
mixed  up  and  call  a  count  an  earl,  or  a  duchess  a  nabob? " 

"  No,  that's  easily  managed  when  you  once  understand. 
It  takes  practice.  It  scarcely  comes  by  nature,"  he  replied, 
as  he  quietly  looked  at  her  to  observe  the  effect  of  the 
remark.  The  conversation  was  getting  too  deep  for  both 
of  them.  This  shallow-brained  girl  might  yet  discover  that 
with  all  his  money  VV3'ndleigh  Garmand  knew  very  little  of 
the  nobility  by  association.  Though  distantly  related  in  a 
shady  sort  of  way  to  an  obscure  peer,  he  had  never  been  in 
the  very  best  society  but  a  few  times  in  his  life.  It  was  evi- 
dently much  safer  to  talk  about  America, — a  subject  neither 
of  them  knew  anything  about.  He  would  willingly  talk,  if 
there  was  no  danger  of  annoying  questions  about  details. 
Had  he  ever  enjoyed  the  blessed  privilege  coveted  by  many 
Englishman  of  having  at  some  time  been  kicked  by  a  lord, 
he  could  have  referred  to  the  distinguished  event  with  pleas- 
ure. He  had  had  no  such  good  fortune.  By  way  of  chang- 
ing the  subject,  he  inquired : 

"  Where  are  the  great  plains,  Miss  Snickeh?  " 

«  Whiteplains?" 

"No,  the  great  plains  that  we  read  of  where  a  fellow  can 
travel  for  days  and  weeks,  you  know,  and  see  nothing  but 
buffaloes  and  wild  bears?" 

"  Oh ! "  she  said  carelessly,  "  I  understand  now ;  they  are 
away  out  West."  Just  where  apparently  made  no  differ- 
ence. Their  conversational  resources  were  utterly  exhausted. 
Neither  spoke  for  some  minutes. 

Meantime  Chetta  and  Tom  Norwell  were  having  a  thor- 
oughly good  time.  They  had  known  each  other  so  long  that 
there  was  no  restraint  between  them.  She  was  happy.  She 
felt  her  power  to  keep  him   at   her  side,  although    he  had 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I49 

never  spoken  of  love,  and  had  never  really  considered  himself 
her  lover.  Thev  rowed  to  shore,  and  joined  the  rest  of  the 
partv.  Two  servants,  who  had  charge  of  the  impedimenta, 
were  busy  transferring  the  things  to  the  steamer,  and  soon  all 
were  on  their  way  to  the  city,  thoroughly  tired,  but  agreeing 
that  thev  had   a  most  delightful   time. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


REAPING     THE    WHIRLWIND. 


Wall  Street  was  uneasy.  For  some  time  there  had  been 
a  feverishness  in  the  stock  market.  There  was  no  panic,  nor 
was  one  feared;  but  the  general  feeling  was  one  of  distrust. 
On  the  day  following  Mr.  Norwell's  conversation  with  his 
son,  Continental  &  Pacific  had  dropped  two  cents  lower, 
and  Norwell  had  lost  another  hundred  thousand  dollars.  In 
a  few  days  more,  at  this  rate,  he  would  not  only  lose  all  the 
money  he  had  made,  but  was  liable  to  become  a  pauper, 
unless  he  chose  to  sell  at  a  great  sacrifice.  His  anxiety  was 
so  great  that  he  felt  the  weight  of  ten  years  added  to  his  life 
in  two  davs.  His  erect  figure  was  bowed,  and  deep  lines 
appeared  in  his  careworn  face.  Right  across  his  path,  which 
had  been  illuminated  by  golden  sunshine  and  beautified  by 
pleasant  prospects,  there  opened  suddenly,  as  a  deadly  disease 
comes  in  a  da}',  a  dark,  yawning  chasm  of  ruin.  In  the  few- 
est words  possible  he  told  Tom  that  stocks  were  unsettled 
and  feverish.  Tom's  advice  was  such  as  could  hardly  be 
expected  from  one  of  his  impulsive,  daring  temperament.  In 
brief  it  was  "  sell  out." 

Tom  never  suspected  how  bad  things  really  were,  Mr. 
Norwell  acted  like  one  in  a  dream.  He  avoided  Alice 
entirelv.  He  dared  not  let  her  know  the  extent  of  the  threat- 
ened danger.  He  had  confidently  expected  to  leave  his  chil- 
dren enough  to  place  them  in  affluence  for  the  rest  of  their 
livgs.  Now,  possiblv,  he  could  not  leave  them  what  he 
began  life  with  himself, — the  practical  knowledge  of  getting 
a  living. 

In  desperation,  Norwell  consulted  with  Ophir  daily.  The 
railwav  king  advised  him  to  hold'  on.     It  was  only  a  tempo- 


150  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

rary  flurry,  and  things  were  sure  to  improve.  Congress  had 
heen  prodigal  in  gifts  to  this  colossal  national  fraud  and  its 
twin  infamy  engineered  by  the  Ingledee  clique.  The  people 
were  building  both  roads  and  presenting  them  to  the  fiivored 
recipients  of  a  nation's  misplaced  bounty.  It  was  difficult  to 
see  why  their  stock  should  decline  at  all.  Norwell  suspected 
that  somebody  was  manipulating  the  stock  and  engineering  a 
tremendous  squeeze.  He  intimated  as  much  to  Ophir,  but 
that  gentleman,  though  a  very  lamb,  seemed  to  have  no  fears 
of  the  all-devouring  bear.  No,  he  said,  this  was  merely  a 
fluctuation  based,  he  thought,  on  the  rumors  circulated  con- 
cerning the  enormous  cost  of  the  mountain  portions  of  the 
road.  It  would  blow  over,  and  then  the  stock  would  go 
higher  than  ever.  It  did  blow  over,  but  like  the  cyclone  that 
blows  over  the  golden  harvests  and  peaceful  villages,  it  left 
only  the  blackness  of  death  and  desolation  in  its  track. 

Down  went  the  stock  till  Norwell's  profits  were  all  con- 
sumed. He  would  fight  this  movement  rather  than  be 
crushed.  Little  he  knew  the  men  he  was  fighting.  They 
were  as  voracious  as  the  shark,  as  cruel  as  the  hyena,  as  in- 
satiable as  death.  He  borrowed  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars  in  cash,  for  his  own  name  was  good  any  day 
for  that  amount.  This  vast  sum  disappeared  in  the  quick- 
sands of  Wall  street,  and  not  a  ripple  marked  the  spot  it  sank 
into.  Down  went  the  Continental  &  Pacific.  Other  stocks 
and  interests  took  the  alarm,  and  there  was  a  general  sharp  de- 
cline. Men  rushed  hither  and  thither  seeking  money  to  jDrotect 
themselves  at  two  per  cent,  per  day.  Men  suddenly  began  ask- 
ing themselves  if  the  country  was  about  to  experience  a  great 
financial  crisis.  Appeals  were  made  to  the  Government  to  in- 
terpose its  strong  arm  between  the  business  interests  of  the 
country  and  the  pirates  who  were  desperately  attempting  to 
wreck  them.  Norwell's  brokers  in  self-defence  refused  to 
assist  him  longer.  He  had  not  allowed  them  to  close  his  deal 
while  it  was  possible.  It  was  now  impossible.  He  must  be 
responsible  for  losses,  which  wei'e  already  nearly  a  million 
dollars.  They  demanded  settlement.  Had  he  been  like  many 
of  the  operators  of  Wall  street  he  would  have  refused  pavment, 
and  resorted  to  legal  delays  and  quibbles.  Probably  he  qpuld 
have  saved  himself  by  ruining  the  brokers.  At  a  forced  sale 
it  would  require  every  dollar  he  possessed  to  satisfy  them.  In 
a  dazed  sort  of  way,  like  one  who  is  suddenly  roused  from 
deep  slumber  and  scarcely  knows  for  a  time  who  he  is,  or 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  15! 

what  he  is,  he  sii^ned  the  deeds  prepared  by  the  lawyers, 
transferred  his  vakiable  real-estate  with  all  the  securities  at  his 
banker's,  and  enterin<2^  his  carriage  drove  home  to  the  man- 
sion no  longer  his,  a  hopeless  bankrupt.  He  told  Tom  in  a 
broken  voice  that  all  was  lost,  and  enjoined  him  not  to  inform 
Alice  just  3-et. 

"  I  shall  not  be  down  to  dinner.  Excuse  me  to  her." 
Mr.  Norwell  entered  his  library  and  tried  to  think.  Had 
this  calamity  like  an  insidious  disease  or  some  foreseen  ruin, 
been  approaching  for  months  or  years,  he  could  have  learned 
to  look  it  calmly  in  the  face,  and  after  awhile  even  to  wel- 
come the  end  as  a  relief  from  suspense.  It  was  so  sudden  and 
so  awful  he  could  not  realize  it.  All  had  occurred  in  one 
brief  week.  As  he  paced  the  floor  the  conviction  grew  on 
him  that  he  and  others  had  been  the  victims  of  conspiracy. 
His  blood  boiled  at  the  thought  of  his  wrongs,  till  liis  heart 
seemed  ready  to  burst.  He  had  heard  rumors  that  Ophir  was 
at  the  bottom  of  the  whole  movement.  It  could  not  be  pos- 
sible that  his  life  long  friend,  the  companion  of  his  boyhood, 
his  old  chum  at  the  district  school,  should  prove  such  a 
deliberate,  black-hearted  traitor.  Ah!  he  had  forgotten  the 
old,  old  story  so  often  repeated  in  all  history,  that  avarice  and 
the  love  of  power  will  turn  him  whom  they  take  possession 
of  into  a  cool,  calculating,  deliberate  fiend.  He  remarked  to 
Tom  as  the  latter  was  starting  down  stairs  to  dinner: 
''  My  boy,  we  have  been  ruined  by  treachery." 
"  Yes,  father,  and  the  traitor  shall  pay  for  it  with  his  life. 
He  cannot  hide  behind  the  specious  mask  of  friendship.  I'll 
spend  a  lifetime  running  him  down." 

"  It  is  useless,  my  boy,"  said  Mr.  Norwell  sadly,  "  they 
have  the  law  on  their  side  and  money  enough  to  buy  courts 
and  juries.  If  I,  rich  man  that  I  was,  could  not  contend  with 
them  successfully,  what  hope  is  there  for  a  penniless  boy  ?  " 
Mr.  Norwell  could  no  longer  restrain  himself,  but  wept  like 
a  child. 

Tom  excused  his  father's  absence  from  the  table,  saying 
important  business  had  detained  him  longer  than  usual,  and  he 
felt  too  tired  to  eat  anything.  As  for  himself  he  had  eaten  a 
very  hearty  lunch  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  Alice  saw  at  once 
by  her  brother's  manner  that  something  unusual  had  happened. 
"  Tom,  there  is  something  the  matter.  Whnt  is  it?  " 
"  Well,  the  fact  is,  father  has  lost  considerable  money  in 
the  decline  of  prices." 


152  AX    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Oh,  is  that  all,"  she  replied.  She  had  always  been 
accustomed  to  an  abundance  of  money.  What  if  some  had 
been  lost!  Doubtless  there  was  plenty  left.  Still  she  felt 
sorry  for  her  father,  and  eating  but  little  of  the  luxurious  re- 
past, while  Tom  ate  nothing,  they  left  the  table.  Mr.  Nor- 
well  paced  the  floor  in  hopeless  despair.  By  degrees  the  full 
consequence  of  his  ruin  became  apparent.  The  more  he 
thought  of  the  transactions  of  the  last  few  days  the  more  he 
felt  he  had  been  robbed.  Had  these  men  come  and  held  a 
pistol  to  his  head  and  taken  his  money  it  would  have  been  no 
more  a  theft.  He  had  been  betrayed,  stabbed  in  the  back  by 
a  sneaking  foe,  and  that  foe  his  so-called  best  friend.  It  was 
all  apparent  now,  in  spite  of  Ophir's  denials. 

His  brain  throbbed  till  it  seemed  as  if  it  would  burst. 
The  blood  gathered  in  his  heart  in  great  waves  which  surged 
till  his  very  chest  seemed  to  swell  beneath  their  impulses. 
Suddenly  there  was  a  spasm  of  dreadful  pain,  a  dizziness, 
and  he  fell  heavily  to  the  floor.  The  left  ventricle  of  the 
heart  had  given  away,  and  he  who  was  a  few  days  ago,  the 
well-known  millionaire,  was  now  only  insensate  clav,  over 
which  two  fond  children  knelt  in  piteous   transports   of  grief. 

The  panic  in  Wall  street  soon  subsided.  Ophir,  Chryso- 
lite, and  one  or  two  others  having  hammered  the  Continental 
&  Pacific  down  to  forty,  bought  up  vast  blocks  of  it  quietly, 
and  behold!  it  began  to  rise  steadily,  till  in  a  few  weelcs  it 
was  again  at  seventy-five,  and  these  men  had  made  several 
millions.*  Excitement  died  out  and  business  resumed  its  ac- 
customed channels.  Few  understood  the  cause  of  the  panic 
those  who  did  thought  little  of  it.  Expressions  like  these 
were  common:  "Talk  about  your  smait  men!  few  of  them 
can  get  ahead  of  Ophir,  I  tell  you."  "He's  the  shrewdest 
man  in  this  country  to-day."  "  Ophir  has  a  wonderful  head," 
and  so  forth.  The  tone  of  these  remarks  seemed  to  indicate 
that  Ophir  was  a  citizen  to  be  proud  of,  and  it  would  be  well 
if  the  country  could  only  produce  more  Ophirs.  Men  would 
shun  forever  some  unfortunate  acquaintance  who  chanced  to 
expiate  at  Sing  Sing  the  consequences  of  his  crimes.  Yet 
they  would  boast  of  even  a  speaking  acquaintance  with  one  of 
these  magnificent  thieves,  who  steal  a  million  at  a  grab,  and 
use  it  to  subvert  law,  corrupt  law-makers,  and  plunder  the 
people.     They   argue    blindly,    "  What's  the  use   to    worry. 

*Xote6. — Breach  of  Friendship. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I53 

Those  things  always  right  themselves.  These  big  fish  only 
prey  on  each  other."  This  fallacious  and  imbecile  argument 
betrays  an  utter  absence  of  thought  upon  the  question.  Such 
things  do  not  right  themselves  as  all  the  world's  history  shows, 
where  it  is  written  in  lines  of  greed,  corruption  and  blood. 

A  little  reflection  will  convince  any  one,  that  no  man  can 
make  fifty  millions  honestly,  nor  even  five  millions.  If  he  gets 
so  much  money,  he  does  it  by  taking  part  that  belongs  to 
somebody  else.  The  part  he  takes  will  be  regulated  by  his 
ability  to  seize,  or  his  fear  of  retribution.  Let  us  not  flatter 
ourselves  that  these  freebooters  will  sometime  get  enough. 
They  will  continue  to  pile  millions  on  millions  in  very  want- 
onness, and  their  descendants  will  claim  as  a  right  the  privi- 
leges which  the  present  generation  have  the  more  politic  im- 
pudence to  bu}'.     Conscience  is  no  part  of  such  men. 

Lest  some  one  may  construe  these  remarks  as  an  attack  on 
all  wealth,  let  me  say  that  large  fortunes  may  be  honestly 
made  in  legitimate  ways.  A  man  by  a  lifetime  of  close  at- 
tention to  business,  combined  with  prudent  economy,  may 
become  very  wealthy,  and  remain  strictly  honest.  I  am  in 
sympathy  with  honest  wealth.  It  is  a  blessing  to  the  com- 
munity when  in  the  right  hands.  It  is  not  a  blessing  in  the 
hands  of  monopolists.  It  is  dangerous  to  give  any  man  too 
much  power.  These  monopolists  of  modern  days  are  the  suc- 
cessors of  the  military  plunderei's,  who  in  ancient  times  piled 
up  vast  fortunes  by  robbing  conquered  countries  and  sacking 
cities,  or  who  in  feudal  times,  levied  blackmail  at  the  head  of 
a  band  of  savage  soldiery;  or  of  those  titled  locusts,  who  in 
the  sixteenth  century  fattened  on  the  people  under  the  guise 
of  ro3'al  grants  and  favors.  Money  and  power  were  the  ani- 
mating motives  of  all.  The  jDirate  of  old  boldl}^  proclaimed 
his  calling.  The  pirates  of  our  own  great  republic  plunder 
the  people  in  the  insidious  disguise  of  public  benefactors, 
under  subsidies  granted  by  subservient  legislative  bodies. 
Shall  we  increase  this  class  of  money  barons  to  eat  up  the 
earnings  of  the  people?     Or  is  the  crop  already  sufficient?* 

The  sad  day  of  the  funeral  passed  as  even  such  davs 
must  pass.  Life  seemed  to  have  uo  more  attractions  for  the 
Norwells.  To  lose  a  fond  parent  was  hard  enough  to  bear, 
though  in  this  case  the  sorrow  was  rendered  doubly  poignant, 
by  the  sudden  and  awful  manner  of  his  death.     As   yet   they 

*  Note  7. — Millionaires  of  the  United  States. 


154 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


had  scarcely  given  a  thought  to  the  stern  fact  that  they  must 
leave  their  comfortable  home  and  vv^ork  for  a  living.  Tom 
felt  this  much  more  keenly  than  Alice.  He  lacked  her 
strength  of  character  and  fortitude  under  adversity.  Besides, 
he  was  now  constantly  thinking  of  the  hardships  she  must 
endure  in  entering  the  already  crowded  avenues  of  employ- 
ment, to  earn  a  iniserable  subsistence.  In  his  bitterness  he 
vowed  vengeance. 

Friends'  condoled  with  them  each  after  his  own  fashion, 
some  in  few  words  aptly  chosen,  that  spoke  the  sympathy 
that  is  sweet  to  the  heart,  others  in  polished  sentences  that  an- 
noyed the  wounded  spirit  with  unmeaning  phrase.  Heart 
speaks  to  heart  in  sorrow.  He  who  has  not  suffered  cannot 
console.  Snicker  senior  thought  that  consolation  could  be 
weighed,  measured  and  transferred  like  sugar. 

"  It  was  a  squally  time,  I  tell  you,  Norwell,"  he  re- 
marked. *'  Glad  I  wasn't  in  for  anything.  It  reminded  me 
of  the  time  when  two  of  us  tried  to  corner  sugar  way  back  at 
the  beginning  of  the  war.  That  was  an  exciting  time,  you 
can  just  bet.  Why,  once  1  didn't  sleep  three  hours  in  a  week, 
and  ate  nothuig  for  a  month.  Once  the  market  went  against 
us,  and  I  thought  we  were  gone  up.  Why,  I  tell  you,  Nor- 
well, several  times  I  really  felt  as  if  I  should  bust  I  was  so 
excited.  But  we  came  out  all  right,  and  scooped  in  just  a 
million  apiece.  It  takes  no  common  head  though,  to  specu- 
late successfully."  Tom  quietly  walked  away  from  this  well- 
meaning  but  egotistical  old  bore,  who  finished  by  saying  to 
himself:  "  .Sorry  for  them.  It's  too  bad.  They're  a  pretty 
decent  family  and  deserve  better  luck." 

The  position  of  Chetta  Ingledee  with  reference  to  the 
Norwells  was  a  more  delicate  one.  She  belonged  to  the  very 
class  who  had  wrought  all  this  ruin.  She  only  half  realized 
this,  it  is  true.  Nevertheless,  she  wrote  a  warm-hearted, 
sympathetic  letter  to  Alice,  condoling  with  her  in  her  great 
grief  and  offering  assistance.  Alice  replied  courteously,  but 
declined  the  proffered  aid  with  thanks.  She  had  never  quite 
approved  of  Tom's  intimacy  with  Chetta,  and  this  letter 
smacked  a  little  of  patronage  to  her  over- wrought,  sensitive 
mind.  Tom  Norwell  went  to  Mr.  Ingledee  in  the  course  of 
a  few  days,  and  begged  him  to  disclose  the  inside  facts  of  the 
recent  squeeze.  Ingledee  pitied  the  broken  man  before  him, 
but  evaded  a  direct  answer.     He  said  when  urged: 

«  It  will  do  you  no  good,  Norwell.     The  thing  is  done.     It 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  155 

was  a  disagreeable  affair  for  a  great  many  people,  though 
you  have  suffered  most.  Frankly,  I  tell  you  there  is  no 
redress.  You  might  as  well  give  the  matter  no  further 
thought."  As  well  ask  a  man  with  a  raging  toothache  to 
laugh  and  make  merrj'.  Ingledee  little  suspected  the  kind  of 
redress  Tom  Norwell  meditated.  The  latter,  after  a  mo- 
ment's silence,  continued: 

"  Mr.  Ingledee,  I  lay  it  all  to  Ophir.  He  is  the  prime 
inover  in  the  whole  diabolical  scheme.  Am  I  not  right?" 
Ingledee  was  silent,  but  that  silence  was  itself  an  answer.  Tom 
rose  and  remarking,  "  He  is  a  scoundrel  and  double-dealing 
traitor,"  left  the  office. 

Tliat  night  Mr.  Ophir  sat  in  the  private  office  of  his  pala- 
tial residence.  Tom  Norwell  sat  in  what  had  once  been  his 
father's  cosy  library,  trying  in  a  vague  way  to  devise  some 
plans  for  the  future.  Something  must  be  done  soon,  for  ab- 
solutely nothing  had  been  saved  from  the  wreck  beyond  his 
sister's  jewels,  and  a  few  other  articles  of  personal  property  of 
no  great  value.  His  gloomy  meditations  were  disturbed  by  a 
knock  at  the  door.  A  servant  entered  and  announced  that 
Miss  Hackett  wished  to  see  him.  With  a  start  he  realized 
her  errand  in  an  instant,  and  told  the  servant  to  show  her  in. 
Aunt  Rhoda  was  accompanied  by  Little  Hackett.  She  began 
before  she  had  scarcely  entered  the  room : 

"  This  is  sorry  work  for  all  of  us,  Mr.  Tom." 

«  It  is  indeed.  Aunt  Rhoda." 

"  Is  it  as  bad  as  reported.^  " 

"  It  is  worse." 

"  There  must  be  something  left?  " 

"  Not  a  dollar." 

"  Oh  don't  say  that,  Mr.  Tom,"  she  exclaimed  in  a  hyster- 
ical key.  "  What  will  the  poor,  sick  boy  do?  Every  cent 
he  had  in  the  world  is  gone.  For  him  my  brother  and  me 
toiled  an'  scrimped  an'  saved  because  we  knowed  he  never 
could  take  care  of  himself.  No,  you  won't  be  so  hard-hearted, 
Mr.  Tom  ?  "  she  begged  with  tears  in  her  eyes.  "  Keep  out 
his  thousand  first:  he  needs  it  worse  than  them  rich  men.  Do, 
won't  you?"  In  the  agony  of  Mr.  Norwell's  last  business 
transactions  Hackett's  poor  thousand  was  entirely  forgotten. 
He  could  and  would  have  gladly  saved  it,  but  such  a  small 
affair  stood  no  chance  of  being  remembered  amidst  transac- 
tions involving  millions.     It  was  too  late  now. 

"  Aunt  Rhoda,"  replied  Tom  sadly,  "  I  would  save  it  if  I 
could,  but  it  is  gone,  all  gone." 


156  AN    IROX    CROWX. 

"  There's  always  a  way  to  pay  the  rich  first  and  cheat  the 
poor.  But  God  sees  sich  doins,  and  he'll  take  account  of  them 
as  sure  as  there's  a  judgment  da}."  Tom  took  no  notice  of 
the  implication  on  his  father's  motives,  for  the  poor  woman 
was  beside  herself  over  the  loss  of  their  bit  of  money.  Little 
Hackett  meantime  had  said  never  a  word.  He  was  in  reality 
a  child  yet,  for  whom  others  must  speak. 

"  Aunt  Rhoda,''  said  Tom,  "it  almost  breaks  my  heart  to 
think  of  this  business.  It  might  have  been  all  right  if  I  had 
not  advised  you  to  put  your  money  into  it." 

"  When  things  were  goin'  so  bad  I  think  you  might  'a 
saved  his  any  wa}^,  seein'  he's  a  poor  crippled  orphan."  Here 
Aunt  Rhoda  gave  way- in  a  burst  of  sobs.  It  was  useless  to 
reason  with  this  woman,  for  she  knew  nothing  of  business. 
But  Little  Hackett  would  not  hear  anything  said  against  his 
former  benefactor. 

"Aunt  Rhoda,"  he  said,  "  what's  the  use  of  taking  on  so? 
The  money's  gone,  and  I  guess  that's  the  end  of  it.  Mr.  Tom 
wasn't  to  blame,  and  I  know  his  father  wasn't,  for  he  was  too 
good  a  man  to  cheat  anybody.  As  for  the  money,  I'll  get 
along  without  it  some  way,  just  as  I  have  done.  Maybe  I'll 
wear  out  a  little  quicker,  but  I  don't  care.  Money  never 
could  make  much  out  o'  me  any  way.  I'll  not  make  another 
complaint.  I  don't  think  it's  right,  for  Mr.  Tom  and  Miss 
Alice  have  lost 'so  much  more  than  we  have.  They're  used 
to  plenty  of  money,  too,  and  can't  get  along  without  it. '  Then 
there's  their  ftither  too  " — here  Little  Hackett  could  no  longer 
control  himself.  Great  tears  coursed  down  hi^  cheeks.  He 
turned  and  walked  slowly  from  the  room,  followed  by  Aunt 
Rhoda,  neither  saying  another  word. 

For  a  brief  time  Tom  Norwell  felt  almost  like  a  convicted 
criminal.  He  had  been  the  means  of  causing  these  poor  peo- 
ple, who  were  his  friends,  to  sufTer  a  great  loss.  However  well 
meant  his  intentions  had  been,  the  result  was  disastrous,  and  in 
his  overwrought,  nervous  condition  he  accused  himself  more 
than  he  should  have  done.  He  now  realized  that  he  should 
not  have  advised  any  one  to  invest  money  subject  to  such  dan- 
gerous contingencies.  He  felt  as  if  the  old  days  had  returned 
when  might  made  right.  It  was  little  use  to  expect  justice 
unless  one  carried  the  remedy  in  his  own  hands.  With  this 
desperate  feeling  a  sudden  resolve  shaped  itself  in  his  mind. 
He  went  up  stairs  with  an  eager,  nervous  step,  took  his  hat, 
placed  a  shining  little  pistol  in  his  pocket,  and  walked 
rapidly  toward  Fifth  Avenue. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

"  VENGEANCE    IS    MINE." 

Mr.  Ophir's  office  at  his  residence  was  a  comfortable  room 
off  the  Hbrary  on  the  first  floor.  Electric  bells  communicated 
with  the  stables,  the  conservatory,  the  kitchen,  in  fact  with  all 
parts  of  the  house.  He  had  only  to  touch  a  certain  button 
when  his  coachman  appeared,  another,  and  the  butler  ap- 
peared, another,  and  the  stalwart  Italian  emerged  from  some 
mysterious  recess  at  the  rear  of  the  house. 

The  spirting  gas  jets  shed  a  pleasant  softened  glow  around 
the  little  office.  Mr.  Ophir's  spirits  were  in  a  like  mellow  and 
satisfactory  condition.  He  had  engineered  the  great  squeeze 
in  Continental  &  Pacific  successfully.  He  had  sold  out  high, 
hammered  the  stock  down,  bought  it  up  again,  and  now 
owned  most  of  the  stock  with  a  clear  million  in  ready  cash  as 
the  profits  of  the  transaction.  True,  he  had  ruined  scores  of 
men,  but  what  of  that?  He  laughed  to  himself  as  he  sipped 
a  little  wine  and  nibbled  a  cracker.  He  sneered  at  the  people 
whose  laws  and  institutions  made  such  things  possible.  He 
thought  they  were  a  pack  of  d — d  fools,  who  deserved  to  be 
swindled.  He  felt  secure  in  his  high-handed  disregard  of 
public  rights,  for  this  most  daring  outrage  of  all  had  attracted 
no  particular  comment  or  censure,  except  from  a  few  persons. 
Most  of  the  community  knew  little  about  it  and  cared  less. 
Hs  had  enough  money  now,  and  certainly  was  not  lacking 
the  brass  to  bluff,  buy  or  bulldoze  his  way  through  thick  and 
thin,  come  what  may. 

It  was  very  difficult  to  approach  the  person  of  this  great 
man.  He  had  constantly  a  fear  that  some  unpleasant  visitor 
might  wish  to  see  him  unexpectedly.  Like  the  worshiper  of 
God  the  worshiper  of  mammon  must  pay  pew  rent,  and  this 
apprehension  was  one  of  the  penalties  which  Ophir  paid  for 
notoriety.  On  the  evening  in  question  the  muscular  porter 
whose  duty  it  was  to  attend  the  front  door,  contrary  to 
orders,  abandoned  his  post  for  a  few  minutes  to  a  house- 
maid. 

.(157) 


158  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

Norwell  struck  the  heavy  knocker,  trusting  to  luck  to  get 
inside. 

When  the  liousemaid  opened  the  door  he  slipped  quickly 
past  her,  saying,  "  T  have  a  special  appointment  with  Mr. 
Ophir;"  passed  quietly  down  the  main  hall  and  turned  into 
the  recess  leading  to  the  door  of  Ophir's  office.  Turning  the 
handle,  he  stood  like  an  apparition  before  that  gentleman. 
Ophir  rose  without  betraying  any  surprise,  drew  another 
chair  forward,  and  courteously  asked  Norwejl  to  be  seated, 
remarking : 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  Norwell." 

"  I  haven't  come  to  sit  down,  Mr.  Ophir.  We  can  trans- 
act our  business  better  standing." 

"  We  can  talk  more  comfortably  sitting.  You  have  busi- 
ness, I  presume.     I'll  order  some  refreshments." 

"  Touch  that  button  and  you  are  a  dead  man,"  said  Tom, 
Instantly  placing  the  shining  barrel  of  his  revolver  to  Ophir's 
temple.  The  latter  withdrew  his  hand  from  the  vicinity  of 
the  little  button  in  the  wall,  shifted  his  head  so  as  to  look  Nor- 
well in  the  eye,  and  calmly  replied: 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  I'm  surprised.  Why  do  you  slip  into  my 
house  in  the  guise  of  an  assassin?  You  have  lost  your  senses 
evidently.     You  were  born  a  gentleman." 

"  And  have  lived  to  be  ruined  by  a  traitor." 

"  Harsh  words  and  violence  do  not  remedy  wrongs.  If 
you  have  a  grievance,  state  it;"  and  again  he  shifted  his 
head  a  little  from  the  dangerous  weapon. 

Tom  Norwell  stood  astounded  at  the  coolness  of  this 
man,  who  never  betrayed  fear  by  word  or  gesture.  He  had 
expected  that  Ophir  would  plead  for  mercy  like  a  guilty 
wretch,  when,  after  hearing  his  humiliating  confession,  he 
would  shoot  him  like  a  dog,  though  the  gallows  were  the  pen- 
alty. But  here  was  a  man  who  had  no  confessions  to  make, 
no  whining  to  do,  no  pleading  for  mercy.  Tom's  anger 
flamed  "under  such  unblushing  effrontery  till  a  very  devil  took 
possession  of  him. 

"  Words  can  not  express  the  contempt  I  feel  for  the  traitor 
who  will  betray  his  best  friend  and  rob  his  family.  Oh,  curse 
your  cool  villainy !  You  shall  die  like  a  dog!"  Ophir  started 
back  at  these  words  a  little,  but  Tom's  quick  eye  discovered 
that  the  movement  which  simulated  fear  really  brought  his 
victim  dangerously  near  the  row  of  electric  buttons.  He  con- 
tinued in  a  hoarse,  low  tone ; 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  1 59 

"  Don't  move  another  step.  I  can  kill  you  as  well  where 
you  stand." 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  do  you  really  mean  to  kill  a  defenseless 
man?"  asked  Ophir,  in  a  calm  tone,  which  only  exasperated 
Tom  further. 

"Yes!"  he  hissed. 

"  Think  of  my  family." 

"  You  never  thought  of  mine."  Norwell  was  not  natu- 
rally a  cruel  man,  nor  even  a  strong-  willed  one.  His  impul- 
sive nature  was  quick  to  resent  a  bitter  wrong.  But  to  do 
such  an  awful  deed  he  must  do  it  at  once.  He  felt  his  resolu- 
tion waver,  but  the  mention  of  family  brought  all  his  wrongs 
back  in  an  overwhelming  rush.     He  exclaimed: 

"  I'll  give  you  one  minute  to  ask  God  to  spare  your  guilty 
soul;  only  one." 

"  So  short  a  time  is  useless,"  and  Ophir  hung  his  head,  but 
betrayed  no  sign  of  fear.  Was  this  immovable  man  made  of 
iron.''  Had  even  death  no  terrors?  Or  did  he  hope  that  time 
would  wear  out  the  resolution  of  his  dreadful  enemy?  Or, 
perhaps,  he  expected  relief?  The  silence  was  oppressive.  It 
seemed  an  age  since  Tom  had  entered  the  room,  although  onlv 
two  or  three  minutes  had  elapsed.  After  a  brief  pause  Ophir 
replied  slowly,  and  with  bowed  head,  as  if  he  felt  at  last  that 
his  time  was  really  come: 

"  I'm  not  prepared  to  die.  Wait.  I'm  very  thirsty.  Let 
me  have  one  more  drink  of  water."  In  a  little  recess  was  a 
marble  wash  basin,  with  hot  and  cold  water  pipes.  Norwell 
saw  there  were  no  electric  bells  there,  and  said  only:  "  Be 
quick."  Ophir  stepped  toward  the  basin.  Instead  of  turning 
the  faucet  of  the  water  pipe  he  touched  what  appeared  to  be 
a  towel  peg  inside  the  I'ecess,  and  then  turned  on  the  water 
and  made  busy  filling  a  tumbler.  In  a  moment  the  door 
opened  and  two  powerful  men  seized  Norwell  from  behind 
and  disarmed  him.  He  remained  a  moment  in  speechless 
amazement.  Had  an  earthquake  rent  the  walls  he  would  not 
have  been  more  surprised. 

"  Curse  him!     What  a  fool  I've  been." 

"  Call  a  policeman,"   was  Ophir's  calm  order  to  a  servant. 

Norwell  was  clearly  trapped.  He  might  be  sent  to  state's 
prison  without  the  poor  satisfaction  of  having  rid  the  commu- 
nity of  his  enemy,  who  was  a  foe  to  society.  He  struggled 
to  free  himself,  but  the  two  strong  men  held  him  with  an 
iron  grip. 


l6o  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  I'll  have  my  revenge  yet,"  he  cried  to  Ophir. 

"  You  had  better  not  criminate  yourself,  Mr.  Norwell," 
was  the  only  reply. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait.  A  policeman  soon  entered  and 
arrested  him  on  the  charge  of  attempting  to  commit  murder. 
Tom  lay  that  night  in  a  cell  in  the  Tombs. 

The  news  of  the  attempt  to  kill  Ophir  in  his  own  home 
spread  with  incredible  rapidity.'  Late  as  was  the  hour,  the 
evening  papers  got  out  extras,  with  startling  head  lines  which 
might  have  led  any  one  not  familiar  with  the  enterprise  of 
modern  journalism  to  infer  that  one-half  of  New  York  was 
murdering  the  other  half.  Newsboys  yelled,  "  All  about  the 
assassination  of  John  Ophir."  One  sensational  sheet  put  it: 
"Awful  crime  on  Fifth  avenue;  cold-blooded  slaughter  of  a 
railway  king;  the  assassin  seized  in  the  presence  of  the  bleed- 
ing victim  and  his  horror-stricken  family." 

People  discussed  this  startling  episode  in  restaurants,  in 
saloons,  at  street  corners  and  on  the  way  home  from  the  thea- 
ters.' While  men  shuddered  at  the  reported  horror  of  the 
crime,  there  was  a  strong  under  current  of  sympathy  for  the 
wrongs  of  the  miserable  man  who  had  attempted  it.  Had 
the  deed  been  all  that  this  sensational  sheet  depicted  it,  there 
would  have  been  difficulty  of  convicting  Tom  Norwell  of 
murder  by  a  jury  of  his  peers,  such  was  the  feeling  which 
suddenly  sprang  ujd  against  the  nefarious  operations  of  John 
Ophir  and  his  fellow  conspirators. 

When  the  papers  appeared  and  Pipe  Malley  caught  the 
words  which  he  was  to  cry  to  attract  custom,  he  waited  for 
no  more.  He  flew  in  hot  haste  up  town,  running  the  whole 
distance.  Out  of  breath  an<l  exhausted  he  ran  up  the  broad 
entrance  of  the  Ingledee  residence  and  rang  the  bell  furiously. 
His  ring  had  something  in  it  which  presaged  important  tid- 
ings. Who  has  not  sometime  in  his  life  seen  or  heard  the 
coming  of  a  messenger  whose  dire  errand  is  told  before  a 
word  is  spoken.  It  may  be  tidings  of  a  great  calamity,  of  sud- 
den ruin,  or  of  death.  Whatever  it  may  be,  the  dread  event 
is  felt  in  the  ominous  look  or  gait  or  action,  or  even  the  time 
of  coming  of  the  messenger.  The  heart  sinks  before  the  tale 
is  told,  for  somehow  we  feel  that  the  worst  has  happened. 
The  startled  servant  answered  the  call  with  unusual  alacrity. 
Pipe's  excited  appearance  and  breathless  manner  plainly  told 
there  was  something  wrong,  and  the  servant  at  once  asked  for 
his  message. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  l6l 

"  I — I  hain't  got  no  messidge.  I  want  to  see  Missus  In- 
gleclee." 

"  Vou  can't  see  Mr.  Ingledee.  You  must  tell  me  your 
business." 

"  I  got  no  business,  I  tell  yer.  I  come  to  tell  suthin'  to 
her." 

"  To  whom  ?" 

"  Why,  I  tole  yer,  to  Miss  Chetta  Ingledee." 

"  Oh,  Miss  Ingledee.  Well,  you  can't  see  her  this  time  of 
night.     I'll  carry  your  message  to  her.      What  is  it?" 

"Hain't  I  tole  you  I  hain't  got  no  messidge?  I  must  see 
her.  It's  awful  important,"  saying  which  Pipe  dodged  inside 
the  door. 

"  Hold  on  there,  young  fellow,"  said  the  man,  "  you  can't 
come  that  game,"  and  he  seized  Pipe  by  the  arm.  "  Now  tell 
your  errand." 

"  I  tell  you  I  will  see  her,"  cried  Pipe,  struggling  to  free 
himself.     "They'll  mebbe  hang  him  before  she  gits  there." 

Chetta  having  heard  the  violent  ring  at  the  street  entrance 
had  opened  the  door  of  her  room  on  the  second  floor,  expect- 
ing to  receive  some  message.  She  listened,  but  could  make 
out  nothing  till  she  heard  Pipe's  voice,  and  caught  the  last 
words  of  his  speech.  She  ran  liastily  down  the  stairway  and 
inquired: 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Pipe?"  Suddenly  Pipe  began  to 
realize  that  it  might  be  a  rather  delicate  affair  breaking  the 
news  of  her  lover's  danger  to  IMiss  Ingledee.  In  his  haste  he 
thought  of  nothing  but  reaching  her  as  soon  as  possible.  Now 
he  knew  the  startling  fact  should  be  broken  gently.  He  was 
no  adept  in  the  art  of  broaching  a  subject  gradually,  so  blurted 
out  only : 

"It's  awful!" 

"What's  awful.  Pipe?" 

"  Mebbe  the  awfulest  part's  over,  mebbe  it  isn't." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Pipe?" 

"  I'm  afraid  to  tell  you  all  to  onc't." 

"  Pipe,  have  you  lost  your  senses?  Tell  me  what's  hap- 
pened," she  added,  impatiently. 

"  Kin  yer  stand  it  all  in  a  heap?" 

"  Something  has  happened  to  Silas,"  said  Chetta,  with  a 
shudder. 

"No,  'tain't  Silas!  But  it's  about  the  worstest  thing  I 
ever  seed  in  the  paper." 


l62  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Pipe,  if  you  don't  tell  me  at  once  I'll  shake  you."  That 
young  gentleman  really  did  not  know  how  to  get  at  the  sub- 
ject of  Norwell's  disgrace,  for  he  surmised  it  would  be  very 
disagreeable  news  to  the  high-spirited  young  lady,  and  he 
wanted  to  spare  her  all  he  could.  But  there  could  be  no 
further  delay.     He  stammered  out: 

"  Mr.  Nor  well  broke  into  Mr.  Ophir's  house  an'  nearly 
murdered  him  with  a  pistol  an'  knife,  I  guess,  an'  then  got 
himself  arrested  an' — an'  " — 

"And  what?"  said  Chetta,  who  clutched  the  railing  hard, 
but  never  screamed,  or  gave  any  other  indication  of  the  vio- 
lent emotion  she  felt. 

"An'  they  chucked  him  inter  jail."  No  one  spoke  for  a 
brief  time,  and  the  servant  eyed  his  mistress  curiously.  If  this 
startling  news  afFeqfed  her  much  she  did  not  show  it.  Pres- 
ently she  said : 

"Is  that  all,  Pipe?" 

"  Well,  I'd  like  to  know  if  that  hain't  a  nufF." 

"  I  mean,  have  you  told  me  all." 

"  Yes,  I  thought  mebbe — mebbe  you  might  want  to  know 
it  afore  you  seen  the  papers." 

"  It's  very  kind  of  you.  Pipe,"  and  she  slipped  a  coin  into 
his  hand. 

"  I'm  very  much  obliged  to  you  besides." 

"  Oh,  it  wasn't  no  trouble  at  all.  I  was  comin'  this  way 
you  see  when  the  idear  kinder  struck  me."  With  this  well- 
intentioned  little  fib.  Pipe  took  his  departure. 

Chetta  sat  down  to  think.  Her  best  friend  was  in  sore 
trouble,  and  needed  help.  Her  first  thought  was  one  of  bit- 
ter anguish  at  the  disgrace  which  attached  to  his  imprison- 
ment like  a  common  malefactor.  A  moment's  reflection  told 
her  that  the  sufferings  of  the  innocent  can  never  disgrace  them. 
But  was  he  innocent?  He  had  attempted  to  commit  one  of 
the  blackest  crimes  in  the  criminal  calendar.  But  had  he  not 
such  provocation  as  few  men  could  calmly  submit  to  ?  Though 
premediated  killing  of  a  human  being  is  always  murder  in  the 
eyes  of  God,  there  are  certain  cases  in  which  men,  though 
not  encouraging  it,  tacitly  admit  that  it  is  justifiable.  She 
loved  this  man,  and  found  no  difficulty  in  discerning  his  justi- 
fication, especially  since  his  attempt  had  proved  abortive.  She 
could,  and  would  secure  his  release. 

Miss  Ingledee  went  to  her  father  at  once  and  laid  the  whole 
matter  before  him.     He   was  greatly   excited.     He  thought 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  1 63 

these  jxomiscuous  attempts  on  human  Hfe  were  becoming  too 
common.  His  own  life  might  be  taken  any  time  by  some 
disappointed  man  who  imagined  he  had  a  grievance.  He  was 
sorry  for  Norwell,  whom  he  really  liked,  but  he  thought  the 
best  thing  was  to  let  the  young  man  suffer  the  consequences 
of  his  rash  act. 

But  Chetta  was  not  to  be  turned  away.  She  pleaded  the 
long  and  intimate  acquaintance  between  the  fiimilies.  If 
friendship  is  worth  anything  it  ought  to  be  worth  something 
in  time  of  neiid,  she  said.  Besides,  Norwell  had  really  suf- 
fered grievous  wrongs,  and  was  in  a  great  degree  excusable. 
Mr.  Ingledee  winced  a  little  at  the  thought  of  what  those 
wrongs  were,  and  replied:  "When  a  man  goes  into  Wall 
street  after  another  fellow's  skin  he  can't  complain  if  his  own 
is  taken."  Chetta  argued  this  was  different.  The  Norwells 
were  not  speculators,  and  had  been  cruelly  wronged.  The  re- 
sult was  that  Mr.  Ingledee  reluctantly  consented  to  visit 
Ophir  and  endeavor  to  have  the  prosecution  dropped. 

The  latter  gentleman  on  reflection  had  concluded  next 
morning  that  a  trial  which  might  bring  out  prominently  so 
many  important  facts,  was  not  a  pleasant  prospect.  He  readily 
consented,  and  Mr.  Ingledee  that  day  appeared  in  court  as  a 
bondsman  for  Tom's  appeal ance  when  wanted.  The  latter 
did  not  really  know  who  had  been  instrumental  in  securing 
his  release.  He  attributed  it  to  the  disinterested  kindness  of 
Mr.  Ingledee.  He  thanked  that  gentleman  with  tears  in  his 
eyes.     Ingledee's  only  reply  was: 

"  It's  of  no  consequence  whatever.  But  be  very  careful 
in  the  future,  Norwell." 

Tom  Norwell  left  the  court  room  with  a  sense  of  shame. 
He  was  nof  only  ruined  but  disgraced.  He  avoided  his  friends, 
for  in  his  overwrought  emotional  condition  he  imagined  they 
might  openly  shun  him.  He  determined  to  leave  the  city  of 
hie  birth  where  such  irretrievable  ruin  had  overtaken  h-'Ti. 
He  scraped  together  a  little  money  from  the  few  availablt 
possessions  remaining  to  him  and  securing  a  respectable  liome 
tor  Alice,  with  some  friends,  prepared  to  go  to  Coloi^ado. 
Hickley  was  authorized  to  look  after  a  few  matters  which 
might  require  attention.  The  lawyer  kindly  offered  assistance, 
which  was  declined  by  Tom.  Garmand  also  said  in  all  sincer- 
ity, "When  you  want  anything,  my  boy,  draw  on  me  at 
sight." 

Tom  had  been  corresponding  for  some  time  with  Wilson 


164  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

on  the  subject  of  their  mutually  seeking  their  fortunes  in  the 
land  of  silver.  They  now  decided  to  carry  their  project  into 
execution  at  once.  Hackett  had  claims  which  Tom  was  not 
disposed  to  forget.  It  suddenly  occurred  to  him  that  perhaps 
the  feeble  hunchback  might  grow  stronger  in  the  salubrious 
climate  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  hinted  as  much  to  Lit- 
tle Hackett  and  offered  to  take  him  along.  Hackett  was  de- 
lighted at  the  prospecto  Aunt  Rhoda  and  Mary  consented 
after  much  anxious  deliberation,  and  the  few  preparations 
needful  were  soon  made. 

Bidding  adieu  to  New  York,  Tom  and  Little  Hackett 
proceeded  at  once  to  Chicago  where  they  weie  joined  by 
Wilson.  Here  they  all  purchased  tickets  for  Denver,  and 
were  soon  speeding  over  the  boundless  prairies  of  the  Great 
West.  All  indulged  bright  visions  of  the  rich  silver  mines 
which  might  be  discovered  in  the  vicinity  of  the  wonderful 
city  of  Argenta,  which  had  risen  like  magic  on  the  head 
waters  of  the  Arkansas. 


CHAPTER  XVH. 


A    CITY    IN    THE    CLOUDS. 


Argenta  is  a  city  in  the  clouds.  Let  the  person  who  dwells 
on  the  great  prairies,  or  by  the  seashore,  imagine  himself 
suspended  in  the  air  at  the  height  of  just  two  miles,  and  he 
will  have  the  exact  elevation  of  this  El  Dorado  wfiose  untold 
wealth  of  silver  for  a  time  filled  the  world  with  wonder.  It 
is  situated  in  the  basin  of  the  Arkansas,  though  the  term  basin 
may  be  misleading,  for  the  river  is  here  but  a  small  creek,  ai*tl 
the  basin,  though  comparatively  level,  is  only  a  vast  trough 
between  two  I'anges.  Gradually  rising  on  the  sides,  it  blends 
into  the  tops  of  the  mountains  themselves  at  times.  On  such 
a  slope  is  situated  Argenta,  partly  on  level  land,  the  outskirts 
of  the  city  gradually  and  ambitiously  extending  up  the  hills  to 
the  very  mouth  of  the  great  mines.  In  many  cases  the  "dump'' 
or  debris  from  the  mines  dangerously  encroaches  on  the  build- 
ings, so  that  the  man  who  finishes  and  moves  into  his  house 
this  month,  may  find  himself  obliged  to  move  out  next  month, 


AX    IRON    CROWN.  165 

or  be  buried  under  a  vast  crawliiif^  mole  of  stone  and  dirt  that 
grows  larger  and  more  threatening  day  by  day. 

Argenta  sprang  up  in  a  day.  Where  before  there  had 
been  only  a  dreary  waste  of  snow  for  nine  months  in  the  year 
over  which  no  living  thing  cared  to  venture  there  was  now  a 
bustling  city  of  board-shanties,  log-huts  and  an  occasional 
tent.  Twenty  years  before  in  the  golden  days  men  came  by 
Imndreds  and  turned  the  alluvial  gulch  into  a  waste  of  coarse 
gravel  and  stones,  took  out  a  liberal  quantity  of  gold  and  de- 
paited,  leaving  the  fabulous  silver  deposits  under  their  very 
feet,  or  clogging  their  sluices  as  a  troublesome  waste.  Ar- 
genta became  at  once  a  city  of  several  thousand  inhabitants, 
I  will  not  say  souls,  for  some  of  the  citizens  appeared  never  to 
have  had  any.  It  had  two  banks,  two  daily  papers,  a  fire  de- 
partment and  a  calaboose. 

Everybody  bristled  with  44-calibre  revolvers,  Arkansaw 
toothpicks  and  profanity.  In  this  electrical  atmosphere,  under 
the  excitement  of  a  mad  quest  for  silver  and  the  aggravation 
incident  to  intimate  association  with  the  mule  and  the  burro, 
plenteous  oaths  seemed  as  necessary  to  the  overwrought  emo- 
tional faculties  as  were  bacon,  flapjacks  and  coflte  to  the  phy- 
sical nature.  In  addition  to  the  stock  of  classical  oaths,  the 
robust  vigor  of  which  is  the  peculiar  heritage  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  race,  new  ones  were  coined  for  new  occasions.  As  a 
consequence  they  were  curt,  cumbersome,  or  polygonal,  ac- 
cording to  the  demands  of  the  situation. 

The  population  of  Argenta  was  cosmopolitan  in  nativity, 
American  in  activity  and  Western  in  its  free  and  easy  man- 
ners. There  was,  in  fact,  a  large  element  whose  manners 
were  perhaps,  too  free  and  easy.  The  city  swarmed  with 
Cyprians,  roughs,  gamblers  and  adventurers  of  every  descrip- 
tion. A  score  of  highly-seasoned  dime  novels  could  have 
been  written  on  the  spot  without  any  perceptible  diminution 
of  material.  As  long  as  these  easy-mannered  but  eccentric 
citizens  confined  their  carousing,  gambling  and  shooting 
within  reasonable  limits, — for  such  things  are  recognized  as 
necessary  in  mining  communities,  and  consequently  have 
proper  limits, — all  was  well.  It  was  considered  proper  that 
they  should  occasionally  paint  the  town  red. 

But  when  they  went  so  far  as  to  hold  up  respectable  citi- 
zens in  their  stores  in  broad  daylight,  and  politely  request  a 
loan  at  the  point  of  a  six-shooter,  said  respectable  citizens,  in 
mass  meeting  assembled,  swore  one  mighty  oath  in  unison 


l66  AM    IRON    CROWN. 

and  said  the  thing  should  he  stopped.  To  emphasize  their 
decision  they  elevated  several  of  the  roughs  a  few  feet  from  the 
ground  in  a  state  of  suspension,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
tlie  altitude  of  the  locality  was  already  considered  almost  too 
great  for  perfect  health.  Thereafter  order  reigned  except 
when  one  gang  of  determined,  desperate  men  attemj^ted  to 
jump  some  mining  claim  held  by  another  gang  of  equally 
determined,  equally  resolute  men.  Then  bullets  flew  and 
blood  ran,  but  this  was  considered  a  state  of  affairs  which 
necessarily  accompanied  the  development  of  a  rich  mining 
region. 

The  climate  of  Argenta  v/as  by  no  means  an  agreeable 
one.  Snow  lay  on  the  range  across  the  Arkansas  the  year 
round,  and  was  liable  to  fall  in  the  streets  of  the  city  any 
day  in  the  year.  The  air  was  raw  and  penetrating,  in  mid- 
summer necessitating  fires  at  night.  During  the  so-called 
summer,  cold,  drizzling  rains  or  drenching  showers  fell  for  a 
time  almost  daily,  to  be  followed  sometimes  by  a  light  snow- 
storm which  marched  in  ghostly  columns  across  the  desolate 
peaks  in  the  distance.  In  the  high  altitudes  the  sun  shines 
with  great  brillianc}'^  through  the  thin  atmosphere  of  a  sky 
that  is  at  times  nearly  black.  His  rays  penetrate  your  thick 
clothing,  causing  a  disagreeable  feeling  of  warmth.  You  sit 
for  a  few  moments  in  the  shade  of  a  spruce  tree,  and  feel  a 
chill  cree2:)ing  rapidly  over  you.  In  short,  this  miserable  pre- 
tence of  a  summer  is  what  the  people  of  temperate  climes 
would  call  very  disagreeable  autumn.  Argenta  furnished 
unusual  inducements  to  the  ambitious  citizen  who  is  possessed 
with  a  desire  to  die  in  his  boots.  If  he  escaped  a  pistol  bul- 
let, pneumonia  might  kill  him  before  he  could  get  them 
oflf.  Many  a  stalwart,  ruddy,  young  man  came  here  in  the 
flush  of  hope  which  belongs  only  to  youth  and  health,  seek- 
ing silver.  This  dread  disease  struck  him  down,  and  in  one 
week  he  returned  to  his  Eastern  friends,  who  still  had  his 
kisses  on  their  lips, — a  corpse  in  his  coffin. 

In  this  city  of  the  clouds  arrived  Tom  Norwell,  Arthur 
Wilson  and  Little  Hackett,  after  having  endured  a  three-days' 
stage  ride  over  alkaline  plains  and  one  of  the  most  difficult 
passes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  They  were  heartily  glad 
that  their  long  journey  from  New  York  was  ended.  Little 
Hackett  was  very  tired.  Even  the  sublimity  of  Rocky  Moun- 
tain scenery  and  the  picturesque  phases  of  life  which  were 
exceedingly  novel  to  him,  could  not  banish  from  his  mind  the 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  •  167 

uncomfortable  fact  that  he  was  very  weary.  This  feeling 
was  aggravated  by  the  great  altitude,  which  made  breathing 
ditiicult.     A  short  run  of  ten  rods  ended  in  exhaustion. 

They  went  at  once  to  the  best  hotel,  where  they  paid  six 
dollars  per  day  for  doUar-and-a-half  accommodations.  As 
their  resources  were  limited,  such  an  expenditure  was  not  to 
be, thought  of  for  any  length  of  time.  N.ext  day  they  went 
to  a  cheap  lodging,  intending  in  the  language  of  the  country 
to  "  rustle."  A  rustler  is  a  man  who  prowls  around  the 
mountains  all  day  long  with  a  pick  breaking  rocks  and  scratch- 
ing up  the  thin  soil,  looking  for  a  lead.  At  night  he  comes 
back  as  tired  as  a  galley-slave,  and  as  hungry  as  an  office- 
seeker.  He  mixes  dough  for  a  flapjack  which,  under  the 
influence  of  heat,  swells  to  an  unsightly  cake  about  an  inch 
thick.  By  dint  of  continual  turning  in  the  skillet,  he  cooks 
this  mass  till  it  is  iis  black, as  charcoal  on  the  outside  and  in  a 
condition  admitting  of  mastication  inside,  though  a  person 
unfamiliar  with  the  curiosity  might  take  it  for  putty.  In  this 
same  skillet  he  fries  a  liberal  allowance  of  bacon.  The  aris- 
tocratic rustler  has  also  in  his  culinary  department  a  coiFee-pot 
without  a  spout.  It  is  a  rare  old  antique,  richly  encrusted 
inside  and  out  with  the  accumulated  grease,  grime  and  dirt 
of  many  years'  rustling.  This  coating,  which  he  looks  at  in 
the  light  of  artistic  ornament,  is  strengthened  by  hairs  from 
his  burro  and  lint  from  his  blanket.  He  treasures  this  fin- 
ished, rare  old  work  of  art  as  a  smoker  cherishes  his  meer- 
schaum, which  daily  grows  in  ripening  beauty.  The  absence 
of  the  spout  on  his  cofiee-pot  recalls  the  winter  he  spent  in 
New  Mexico,  where  it  was  melted  off;  the  tow  string  which 
prevents  the  lid  from  gettnig  lost  suggests  the  big  rush  to 
Bonanza  City,  where  he  thought  he  had  struck  it  rich.  And 
so  the  very  dents  in  the  side  are  fraught  with  old  memories. 
The  rustler  who  happens  not  to  be  in  affluent  circumstances, 
may  possess  neither  donkey  to  carry  his  provisions  nor  coffee- 
pot in  which  to  brew  this  delicious  elixir  of  mountain  life.  In 
the  latter  case  he  gets  along  just  as  well  with  an  old  tin  can. 
The  rustler  sits  on  a  log  and  devours  his  flapjack  and  bacon, 
washing  it  down  with  copious  draughts  of  coffee,  plentifully 
sweetened,  and  imbibed  from  a  tin  cup  which  is  also  an 
antique. 

After  supper  he  lights  his  pipe  and  goes  to  the  cam^^  of 
another  rustler.  They  lie  about  their  claims  and  how  many 
capitalists  they  have  on  the  string  till  ten  o'clock,  when  they 


1 68  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

go  to  bed.  This  simple  operation  is  not  attended  by  the  pre- 
liminaries observed  in  genteel  society.  It  consists  in  tucking 
his  blanket  closely  around  him  as  he  snuggles  up  to  the  warm 
side  of  a  log  or  some  pine  bushes.  A  few  brush  are  between 
him  and  the  twinkling  stars.  He  sleeps  soundly,  but  dreams 
at  times  of  pockets,  horses  and  leads  with  all  their  dips,  spurs 
and  angles. 

And  so  the  rustler  prospects  for  years,  always  hoping  to 
strike  it  rich,  but  never  striking  it  at  all,  until  some  day  he  is 
suddenly,  perhaps  violently,  ushered  into  that  mysterious 
realm  whose  unknown  regions  are  little  less  mysterious  than 
his  life  was  here. 

When  Norwell,  Wilson  and  Hackett  had  learned  by  a  few 
days'  observation  what  a  rustler  really  was,  they  modestly 
resolved  not  to  aspire  to  his  high  condition.  Hard  as  the  lot 
of  a  prospector  may  seem,  it  was  to  be  envied  compared  with 
the  condition  of  these  New  Yorkers  in  a  cheap  Argcnta  lodg- 
ing house.  The  best  in  the  city  was  scarcely  decent,  but  this 
was  the  most  sickening,  filthy,  repulsive  den  that  ever  mortal 
man  set  foot  in,  short  of  a  pest  house.  It  was  the  resort  of 
miners  who  were  dead  broke,  and  tenderfeet  who,  having 
gauged  their  fimds  by  v/hat  their  money  would  purchase  at 
home,  found  to  their  dismay  that  their  slender  means  sufficed 
here  to  pay  for  only  the  very  poorest  accommodations. 

The  miners  were  clad  in  heavy  woolen  shirts  and  the  ordi- 
nary pants  which  they  wore  when  they  came  to  the  country. 
Over  these  were  brown  duck  overalls  and  an  outer  coat  of  the 
same  material.  The  latter  garments  were  literally  glazed 
till  they  shone  with  grease  and  dirt  acquired  while  undergoing 
the  culinary  operations  of  the  camp,  for  here  the  male  sex  did 
the  cooking,  women  being  few,  and  those  not  of  the  sort  that 
men  take  to  their  domestic  altars.  The  strong  points  in  favor 
of  this  homely  cloth  of  universal  use  was  the  fact  that  a  grease 
spot  was  about  the  color  of  the  original,  and  when  the  stuff 
was  thoroughly  fortified  with  a  coating  of  dirt,  there  was  no 
wearing  it  out.  Its  absence  invariably  marked  the  tenderfoot 
who  had  just  arrived. 

The  filthy  beings  who  resorted  to  this  lodging  house  had 
been  strangers  to  a  bath  possibly  for  years.  There  were  no 
facilities  for  bathing  indoors,  and  there  is  not  much  temptation 
to  plunge  into  a  mountain  stream  which  emerges  from  snow 
a  mile  or  so  above.-  These  men  were  steeped  in  dirt  till  it 
became    a   part  of  their   very  natures,  and   excited  no  more 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  169 

thought  than  it  would  had  they  been  without  sugar  in  their 
coffee  for  one  meal.  Yet  nearly  all  of  them  had  been  brought 
up  with  proper  regard  to  decency,  many  of  them  in  refine- 
ment. Such  is  the  power  of  association  and  stern  necessity. 
They  sat  around  the  big  metal  stove,  which  was  kept  in  full 
blast  night  and  day,  and  squirted  tobacco  juice  over  the  filthy 
floor  and  lied  about  their  claims,  that  is,  nearly  all  of  them 
did.  Occasionally  a  man  was  met  who  still  had  faint  glim- 
merings of  truth  in  him.  Men  who  were  so  leduced  in  cir- 
cumstances as  to  stay  in  this  foul  den,  where  the  hot  air  reeked 
with  tobacco,  whisky  and  numerous  unclassified  evil  odors, 
indulged  in  such  conversation  as  the  following  : 

"Jim,  goin'  to  work  yer  claims  this  summer?  " 

"  Only  'sessments  I  reckon,  I  kin  afford  to  lay  easy  and 
wait.  Mose,  I  tell  you  what,  I've  got  the  biggest  thing  this 
side  of  the  range.  There's  the  'Horn  Silver  King,'  that's  a 
daisy.  It's  worth  a  hundred  thousand.  T^en  I've  got  an  ex- 
tension on  it.  Call  that  the  'Jumbo.'  The  '  Little  Luc}^ ' 
is  right  across  the  gulch.  She's  no  slouch,  and  don't  you  for- 
get It." 

"Jim,  I  guess  I'll  not  work  much  this  summer  either. 
What's  the  use?  There's  the  'Mountain  Queen.'  She'll 
make  me  a  fortune  and  more.  Was  offered  fifty  thousand 
cash  for  her  last  season.  Got  an  assay  on  her  that  was  eigh- 
teen hundred  an'  forty  last  week.  Wy,  the  ruby  silver  in 
her  would  make  your  eyes  bung  out.  Bet  yer  boots  there 
never  was  the  like  in  this  camp.  How's  that,  Jim?"  and 
he  jDroduced  from  a  side  pocket  a  little  bit  of  rock  about  the 
size  of  a  walnut. 

"  D— d  rich  stuff,  Mose.     Got  much  of  it? " 

"  Pay  streak  four  feet  thick.  Oh  we've  got  it  bigger  than 
an  elephant." 

The  little  piece  of  ore  was  carefully  returned  to  the  pocket. 
It  was  really  very  rich  in  silver.  It  had  been  cabbaged  from 
a  paying  mine  owned  by  a  New  York  company. 

"  Mose,  me  an'  the  Myers  boys  an'  John  Doubledecker  is 
talkin'  of  gittin'  up  a  big  sindercate  to  control  the  whole  hill, 
an'  stock  the  cussed  thing  out  and  out  for  a  million.  What 
do  you  think  of  that?  " 

"  I  dunno.  I'd  ruther  have  a  quarter  of  a  million  spot 
cash  an'  be  done  with  the  thing.  But  you  kin  bet  yer  life  no 
capitalist  is  goin'  to  monkey  with  me.  If  any  capitalist  wants 
the   '  Mountain    Queen '    at    fifty    thousand,  or    the    '  Last 


170 


AN    IRON'    CROWN. 


Chance  '  at  forty,  or  the  '  Rough  an'  Ready  '  at  twenty-five, 
he  km  have  'em.  If  he  don't  want  'em  ah  he's  got  to  do  is 
to  say  so,  and  give  some  other  feller  a  chance.  Say  Jim,  lend 
me  a  quarter  to  pay  for  dinner?  I'm  expectin'  a  letter  from 
Missouri  to-day  or  to-morrow,  an'  I'll  pay  you  then." 

"  Durn  near  strapped  myself,  Mose,  but  I  guess  I  kin 
make  it."  The  two  bonanza  kings  then  retire  to  the  restau- 
rant adjoining  to  fill  upon  baked  beans,  bread  and  coflfee.  On 
inspection  the  '.'Last  Chance,"  the  "Horn  Silver  King,"  the 
"  Little  Lucy  "  and  the  "Jumbo"  would  prove  to  be  mere 
gopher  holes  in  the  hillsides,  while  the  splendid  pay  streak 
four  feet  thick  would  dwindle  to  a  little  quartz  seam  in  the 
rock  about  the  thickness  of  a  carving-knife  blade.  This  con- 
versation is  an  expurgated  sample.  The  original  is  much 
more  profusely  punctuated  with  unique  oaths  and  comical  ex- 
pressions of  emphasis. 

To  say  that  Norwell,  Wilson  and  Hackett  were  disgusted 
but  poorly  expresses  their  condition.  Tiiey  were  sick,  sick  at 
heart,  and  sick  at  the  stomach.  At  night  when  they  retired 
things  were  no  better,  in  fact  v^^orse.  The  rude  pine  bunks 
were  arranged  one  above  another,  stateroom  fashion.  Sweep- 
ing and  bed-making  were  unknown  about  the  establishment. 
There  was  no  place  to  sit  down,  no  place  to  hang  clothes.  In 
fact,  it  was  contrary  to  the  custom  of  the  country  to  take  them 
off  on  retiring,  excepting  a  few  of  the  outer  garments.  Had 
they  known  at  first  of  their  insect  bedfellows,  of  a  species 
whose  appearance  is  easily  recalled  by  soldiers  of  the  civil 
war,  they  would  have  camped  under  the  pines  at  the  risk  of 
pneumonia.  This  dismal  discovery  was  postponed  for  a  few 
davs.  During  the  day  they  could  not  stay  outside  much,  be- 
cause of  the  chilling  mountain  air,  which  was  positively  dan- 
gerous to  new  comers,  and  particularly  to  a  weak  person 
like  Little  Hackett. 

Their  meals  at  the  restaurants  were  simply  abominable. 
The  party  unanimously  agreed  it  would  not  do  to  squander 
their  inadequate  means  by  eating  at  the  two  or  three  fairly 
decent  places  where  prices  were  fabulous,  considering  that  the 
fue  was  mostly  canned  food.  One  morning  they  went  to 
three  restaurants  before  making  a  meal.  They  thought  with 
fond  regret  of  those  places  in  New  York  where  a  large, 
delicious  oyster  pie  can  be  had  for  fifteen  cents.  The  discon- 
tented inner  man  was  in  a  constant  state  of  rebellion,  which 
greatly  increased  the  discomfort  of  the  outer  man.     i\.fter  all, 


AX    IRON    CROWN.  171 

the  kitchen  is  the  true  domestic  altar,  and  the  cook  chief 
priest.  Desecrate  the  altar,  and  happiness  flees  the  premises. 
In  after  years  Norwell  and  Wilson  looked  back  upon  the 
week  spent  in  Argenta  as  the  most  completely  and  aggravat- 
ingly  miserable  period  of  their  lives. 

They  had  come  to  this  country  to  prospect  for  silver. 
Argenta  was  the  best  place  in  which  to  learn  all  about  the 
various  mineral  districts  of  the  State,  for  here^were  miners 
from  all  quarters  of  the  country.  Hardships  were  necessary, 
and  they  might  as  well  accustom  themselves  to  the  wa3's  of 
this  rough  country  at  once.  They  talked  with  a  great  man}' 
men.  Acquaintances  are  made  here  in  five  minutes,  and 
comrades  for  the  season  joicked  up  in  an  hour.  Almost  inva- 
riably these  partners  ai^e  true  to  each  other.  Their  interests 
are  henceforth  one  for  life  or  death,  sometimes  the  latter. 
After  much  investigation  and  discussion  the  party  decided  to 
go  over  the  range  into  the  famous  "  Gunnison  Country." 

During  their  wanderings  around  town  Norwell  one  day 
met  an  expert.  He  had  seen  the  man  once  before  on  the 
train  when  they  entered  the  State.  He  was  returning  from 
the  Black  Hills  "busted."  For  the  benefit  of  those  who  may 
not  happen  to  know  what  a  mining  expert  is,  I  will  say  that 
he  is  a  man  who  knows  nearly  as  much  about  rocks  as  the 
Divine  Providence  which  made  them.  Doubtless  had  he 
been  present  at  the  creation  he  could  have  rendered  invalua- 
ble assistance  in  setting  up  the  geological  part  of  the  concern. 
He  can  see  clear  through  a  mountain  and  tell  just  what  is  con- 
cealed in  its  stony  bowels,  that  too,  almost  before  he  has  left 
the  nearest  hotel.  He  can  also  see  through  that  species  of 
being  picturesquely  known  in  the  West  as  a  "  Sucker,"  and 
h%  has  been  known  to  see  clear  through  a  capitalist  \vho  has 
wealth  to  plant  in  promising  mines.  His  organ  o£  sight  is 
not  less  remarkable  than  that  of  the  celebrated  far-seer  in  the 
German  legend.  The  expert  is  usually  well  dressed  and  cai"- 
ries  a  gold  watch.  His  tongue  is  not  so  glib  as  that  of  the 
lightning  rod  peddler,  nor  are  his  remarks  so  definitely 
directed  toward  a  visible  object.  He  talks  calmly  of  porphyry, 
shale  and  granite,  mingling  remarks  about  pyrites,  galena, 
gray  copper,  black  jack,  and  refractory  ores  till  the  listener  is 
astounded  at  the  expert's  vast  wisdom,  and  confesses  to  him- 
self with  shame  the  colossal  proportions  of  his  own  ignorance. 

This  particular  expert,  whose  name  was  John  Doflfmeyer, 
lacked  the  gold  watch  and  the  good  clothes,  but  he  had  the 


172  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

rocks  in  his  head,  if  there  were  none  in  his  pocket.  He  care- 
lessly unfolded  to  Tom  the  nature  of  his  mission  to  the  min- 
inq;  regions.  His  motives  were  unexpectedly  disinterested; 
for  a  reasonable  sum  he  would  advise  miners  as  to  the  value 
of  their  property,  or  assist  in  locating  new  mines.  His  advice 
would  save  a  great  deal  of  time  which  might  otherwise  be 
wasted  in  experiments.  It  was  cheaper  to  hire  such  a  man. 
The  shortness  of  the  season,  for  snow  would  cover  the  moun- 
tains in  eighty  days,  made  time  a  great  object  with  Norwell 
and  Wilson.  The  latter  was  opposed  to  hiring  the  expert, 
whose  greasy,  seedy  appearance  was  not  prepossessing. 
Tom,  w^ho  felt  his  ignorance  of  practical  mining,  was  in 
favor  of  employing  him.  Norwell  had  studied  the  subject  of 
geology  a  little  at  college,  and  this  man's  knowledge  of  rocks 
was  good  so  far  as  he  could  test  it  by  examination.  The  ex- 
pert finally  said,  as  he  was  hard  up  he  would  go  on  a  "grub- 
stake." On  the  grub-stake  plan  one  man  furnishes  every- 
thing needed  for  the  outfit,  and  is  entitled  to  a  share  such  as 
may  be  agreed  on,  of  all  the  other  finds.  It  was  settled  that 
Doffmeyer  should  go  on  these  terms. 

Doffmeyer  was  in  himself  a  study.  He  was  scarcely 
medium  height,  but  rather  stoutly  built.  He  wore  a  bleached- 
out,  dirty-vellowish  suit,  which  was  so  soiled  and  greasy 
from  roughing  it,  that  no  one  could  discover  the  original 
color.  His  gray  flannel  shirt  had  no  collar,  and  his  boots 
were  worn  to  the  verge  of  extinction.  He  had  a  lusterless 
gray  eye,  very  light  frizzy  side  whiskers,  pug  nose,  large 
mouth  stained  constantly  wiih  tobacco,  and  greasy  com- 
plexion. The  latter  would  probably  have  had  a  natural 
healthy  color  under  the  eflTect  of  soap  and  water.  He  wore  a 
cheap  silver  watch  and  a  charm  consisting  of  a  little  compass 
dangled  from  the  brass  chain.  This  compass  would  prove  of 
great  service  should  he  get  lost  while  prosecuting  his  wonder- 
ful discoveries  in  the  mountains.  He  had  an  appetite  like  a 
mill  saw,  as  Tom  soon  discovered  to  his  cost,  and  proved  as 
lazy  as  a  fat  dog  on  a  hot  August  noon.  Altogether,  he  was  a 
unique  specimen,  even  for  that  country,  so  rich  in  biped 
curiosities. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ROUGHING  IT. 


Heartily  sick  of  Argenta,  the  party  decided  to  go  to  the 
little  town  of  Buena  Alta,  some  sixty  miles  distant,  and  outfit 
there,  preparatory  to  crossing  the  divide  into  the  Gunnison 
country.  Buena  Alta  was  a  bustling  place.  It  had  sprung 
up  like  a  mushroom  as  soon  as  the  railroad  reached  that 
point.  Perhaps  it  might  disappear  as  suddenly  when  the  tei"- 
minus  of  the  road  moved  on,  leaving  only  an  extended  debris 
of  old  tin  cans,  gunny  sacks,  and  shank  bones  of  hams  to 
mark  its  site.  Nearly  all  the  houses  were  made  of  rough 
spruce  boards.  The  more  pretentious  were  lined  and  ceiled 
with  white  cotton  cloth.  Many  of  the  inhabitants,  like  the 
Arab,  were  abiding  in  tents.  Everybody  owned  from  one  to 
twenty  mines,  as  they  termed  their  claims,  most  of  which 
had  no  ore,  many  no  work  done  of  any  consequence,  some 
only  a  stake  sticking  in  a  vast  expanse  of  snow.  They  talked 
of  mines  as  an  Eastern  man  might  mention  how  many  pairs 
of  shoes  he  had. 

This  was  a  country  of  boundless  wealth,  though  nobody 
seemed  to  be  burdened  with  a  surplus  of  ready  cash.  In  fact, 
his  cash  was  the  most  attractive  thing  about  a  tenderfoot,  as 
the  new  comers  were  called.  Straightway  the  men  of  ex- 
perience who  had  graduated  in  the  ways  of  the  country  laid 
plans  to  relieve  the  confiding  tenderfoot  of  his  wealth. 
Usually  the  plan  pursued  was  to  sell  him  dilapidated  old 
tents,  skinny  donkeys  or  worthless  mining  claims,  once  pos- 
sessed of  which  no  ray  of  happiness  again  cheei'ed  the  miser- 
able man  till  they  were  got  rid  of,  which  usually  happened  by 
abandonment,  when  the  tenderfoot  t-urned  his  disheartened  steps 
eastward  to  bid  the  infernal  country  a  last  adieu.  Often  how- 
ever, one  of  nature's  real  noblemen,  who  has  too  much  regard 
for  the  feelings  of  a  fellow  being  to  cheat  him  deliberately, 
"held  up"  the  unsuspecting  tenderfoot  at  the  point  of  a  "44" 
six-shooter,  kindly  relieved  him  of  his  purse  and  watch,  and 
courteously    requested    him    "  to  make    tracks."     The  tracks 

(173) 


'74 


AX    IKON    CUOWN. 


were  inadc  with  dispatch  toward  the  most  frequented  part  of 
the  tovvn. 

Norwell  and  Wilson  purchased  a  tent,  a  pick  and  a  shovel, 
a  drill,  some  giant  powder,  which  was  in  greasy  sticks  about 
the  size  of  a  candle  and  covered  with  waterproof  paper,  some 
fuse  and  percussion  caps,  a  hammer,  and  other  lesser  prospect- 
ing reciuisitcs.  For  the  commissary  department  they  bought 
flour,  meal,  bacon,  rice,  coffee,  sugar,  dried  apijles  anil  peaches, 
a  gallon  of  maple  syrup,  several  cans  of  jellies  and  butters, 
with  other  small  articles  which  they  considered  necessaries. 
A  portable  sheet-iron  stove  with  pans  for  baking,  a  frying- 
pan,  sauce-pan,  coffee-pot,  knives  and  forks,  etc.,  completed 
the  culinary  department.  They  had  stuff  enough  to  start  a 
small  kitchen  in  full  running  order.  The  expert  viewed  these 
preparations  with  great  satisfaction.  He  had  evidently  struck 
a  "snap."  A  rustler  would  have  started  out  afoot  with  ten 
pounds  of  flour,  ten  of  bacon,  two  pounds  of  coffee,  a  spider, 
a  pick,  and  a  blanket. 

To  carry  all  these  manifold  possessions  they  had  purchased 
three  burros,  after  much  inspection  and  bargaining.  Buying 
a  donkey  is  very  much  like  the  legendary  transaction  of  buy- 
ing a  pig  in  a  poke.  There  is  no  use  haggling.  One  donkey 
is  as  good  as  another  if  he  is  as  big.  No  living  man  can  tell  his 
age  within  half  a  lifetime.  The  burro  himself  seems  in- 
different on  this  point,  and  though  his  melodious  voice  is 
often  lifted  up  in  song,  he  has  never  been  known  to  warble 
"Darling,!  am  growing  old."  What  becomes  of  all  the 
donkeys  is  as  hard  to  answer  as  the  time-honored  conundrum 
what  becomes  of  all  the  pins.  The  oldest  inhabitant  with 
his  tenacious  memory  and  fertile  imagination  never  saw  one 
die  a  natural  death.  Their  worst  foe  is  the  heavy  snow  of  a 
Rocky  Mountain  winter  when  the  valleys  are  covered  deeply. 
Horses,  mules  and  donkeys  are  turned  out  to  rustle.  The 
horse,  with  superior  sagacity  and  strength,  paws  through  the 
snow  to  the  coarse  grass  and  manages  to  keep  off  starvation. 
The  miserable  burro  mopes  and  dies  a  lingering  death,  cut  off 
from  grass,  old  gunny  sacks  and  bacon  rinds,  all  of  which  he 
devours  with  zest. 

Of  the  animals  purchased  one  was  a  large  jack  with  long 
gray  hair,  and  a  temper  slightly  soured  by  contact  with  an 
unfeeling  world.  Another  was  an  old  brown,  Mexican  jack. 
He  looked  not  unlike  a  mummy,  and  if  appearances  went  for 
anything,  must  have  made  his  advent  into  this  world  away 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  1 75 

back  toward  the  time  of  the  conquest  of  his  native  country  by 
Cortez.  The  third  was  a  httle  female  about  the  size  of  a 
large  Newfoundhmd  dog.  The  three  with  their  pack  saddles 
were  bought  for  eighty  dollars,  and  the  owner,  who  was  a 
physician,  kindly  threw  in  a  prescription  for  the  cure  of  moun- 
tain fevei". 

The  animals  were  driven  round  to  be  packed.  There  was 
outfit  enough  to  load  a  two-horse  wagon  for  the  mountain 
road.  It  made  an  appalling  bulk  compared  with  the  diminu- 
tive beasts  that  were  to  cairy  it  over  the  range.  Packing  a 
burro  is  in  itself  the  triumph  of  the  prospector's  profession.  A 
tenderfoot  can  no  more  do  it  well  the  first  time,  than  he 
could  dance  a  Highland  fling  on  a  tight  rope  without  practice. 
It  is  easy  enough  after  a  few  trials  to  sling  a  sack  of  flour 
on  one  side  of  the  saddle,  which  exactly  resembles  a  saw 
buck,  and  a  sack  of  bacon  on  the  other  side.  But  when  it 
comes  to  slinging  on  top  of  that  a  sheet-iron  stove  and  several 
joints  of  pipe,  some  bread-pans,  a  deep  sauce-pan  v/ith  a  long 
handle,  a  coff'ee-pot  with  a  big  bail,  a  spider  that  objects  to 
fitting  in  anvwhere,  a  pick  the  shape  of  a  rainbow,  a  shovel, 
a  drill  which  is  liable  to  slip  out  suddenly  and  chop  oflf  some 
of  the  operator's  toes,  a  gunny  sack  full  of  fruit  cans  that 
seems  to  weigh  half  a  ton  as  you  lift  it  to  the  very  middle  of 
the  load,  a  roll  of  blankets,  a  tent,  a  tent  pole  with  a  vicious 
iron  gudgeon  in  the  end  of  it,  and  various  other  little  camp 
trinkets — I  repeat  when  an  attempt  is  made  to  pack  all  these 
on  an  impatient  little  animal,  who  realizes  that  he  has  fallen 
among  philistines,  the  effort  is  liable  to  suggest  that  there  is 
a  limit  to  human  achievement.  It  is  possible  to  get  your 
cargo  aboard,  but  it  must  be  packed  and  sinched  till  it  will 
]  ide  all  day,  up  hill  and  down,  follow  the  donkey  as  he  jumps 
a  mudhole  all  fours,  stay  by  him  when  he  runs  under  a 
scraggy  tree,  brushes  a  pointed  rock,  or  toils  up  a  steep  angle 
in  the  mountain  trail. 

The  packing  was  begun  and  during  its  continuance  sundry 
reflections  were  made  from  time  to  time,  some  of  them 
philosophic  in  their  nature,  while  others  were  disconnected 
and  rambled  from  any  well-defined  subject.  But  what  was 
lacking  in  logic  was  more  than  made  up  by  vigor  of  declama- 
tion. The  donkeys  shifted  and  stepped  continually  as  their 
burden  grew  to  surprising  proportions.  This  animal  can 
carry  an  immense  load  considering  his  size,  but  he  dislikes  to 
do  it.     The  despised  donkey   is  much   misunderstood  in  this 


176  AN'    IRON    CROWN. 

country,  lie  is  not  vicious.  He  very  rarely  kicks  or  bites. 
He  endures  every  hardship  patiently  and  will  submit  to 
shameful  abuse  without  an  attempt  to  resent  it.  The  loads 
after  much  changinj^,  tying  and  untying,  shifting  and  adjust- 
ing, were  finally  thought  to  be  in  place,  tied  by  a  gordian 
knot  of  small  rope.  Then  it  was  discovered  that  the  can  of 
maple  svmp  had  been  forgotten.  Tom  tied  it  by  a  string  to 
the  side  of  one  of  the  loatls  and  exclaimed  triumphantly: 

"There,  Wilson,  TU  bet  my  hat  that'll  ride.  Get  up, 
Jerry." 

Jerry,  who  doubtless  marveled  greatly  at  the  unusual  time 
consumed  in  packing,  got  up  with  alacrity.  The  donkey,  in 
this  respect,  sets  a  useful  example  to  man.  He  starts  the 
instant  the  packing  is  completed.  Jerry  proceeded  about  two 
rods  when  the  gunnv  sack  full  of  canned  food  gave  a  lurch 
to  leeward  and  pulled  all  the  rest  after  it.  The  load  strewed 
the  ground  or  hung  suspended  beneath  the  animal, — the  sad- 
dle having  turned  for  want  of  sufficient  sinching,  as  the 
operation  of  girthing  is  called.  Fortunately  Jerry  was  the 
staid  old  Mexican  who  never  gave  way  to  excitement.  He 
stopped  and  waited  to   be  packed  again. 

In  course  of  time  another  start  was  made.  Pretty  soon 
the  stove  pipe  slipped  out  of  the  rope  which  tied  it.  More 
delay.  After  another  very  transient  bit  of  locomotion,  the 
pick  slipped  down,  and  began  to  excavate  among  the  ribs  of 
ihe  unfortunate  donkey;  then  the  cofFee-pot  endangered  its 
usefulness  by  bumping  against  the  stove;  next  the  cork  came 
out  of  the  maple  syrup  can,  and  that  savory  compound  trick- 
led over  everything,  sticking  together  the  long  hair  of  the 
burro.  Some  lime  elapsed  before  anything  else  happened, 
and  a  mile  or  two  began  to  establish  a  delusive  confidence. 
Befoi-e  long  it  was  discovered  that  the  pick  had  all  the  while 
been  surreptitiously  boring  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  coffee- 
pot. An  old  gunny  sack  was  inseiled  to  keep  the  peace. 
Another  short  move  and  one  of  the  burros  began  to  exhibit 
signs  of  dissatisfaction  at  existing  arrangements.  The  stove 
had  settled  down  till  the  sharp  iron  corner  jobbed  him  in  the 
back  at  every  step.  Another  gunny  sack  was  inserted.  By 
and  by  the  load  of  the  gray  jack  with  the  defective  temper 
began  to  get  out  of  balance,  and  the  uneasy  animal  tacked  to 
one  side  of  the  road,  as  if  he  contemjjlated  climbing  a  tree. 
Such  a  load,  once  unbalanced,  can  never  be  righted  short  of 
removal.      It  was  useless  to  hang   first  the  sledge-hammer, 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  1 77 

then  the  drill  on  the  light  side.  Apparently  another  donkey 
hung-  there  would  have  availed  nothing.  It  must  all  be 
repacked,  which  consumed  at  least  one  hour's  valual^le  time. 

And  so  the  weary  day  is  consumed,  slowly  climbing 
higher  up  the  mountain  road,  following  a  noisy,  spluttering 
tributary  of  the  Arkansas.  At  night  the  weary  men  and 
animals  are  only  too  glad  to  shelter  in  some  quiet  dell 
shaded  by  dark  and  gloomy  pines,  where  a  crystal  mountain 
stream  gurgles  among  the  rocks.  The  camp-fire  burns 
cheerily,  and  is  very  grateful  in  that  cliill  mountain  air. 
The  bacon  is  soon  fried,  biscuits  baked,  black,  strong  coffee 
made,  and  an  appetite  such  as  the  city  man  has  no  concep- 
tion of,  gives  a  zest  to  this  homely  fare,  which  makes  it  taste 
better  than  the  daintiest  viands.  After  supper  stories  are  told. 
If  there  is  a  camp  liar  along,  as  there  usually  is,  he  does  his 
fine  work  at  this  time.  '  Doflfmeyer  told  marvelous  stories  of 
the  Black  Hills  and  Utah.  Little  Hackett,  to  whom  the 
freshness  of  nature  and  the  grandeur  of  the  scenery  was  a 
never-ending  delight,  discovered  new  beauties  with  each  mile 
of  progress  up  the  wild  glens  of  the  Rockies. 

On  the}'  journeyed,  day  by  day,  up  the  little  creek  into 
the  thin  air  of  the  highest  altitudes.  Breathing  grew  diffi- 
cult. The  cottonwoods  disappeared,  and  only  the  hardy  ever- 
green timber  was  to  be  seen.  Then  they  passed  the  timber 
line,  and  some  of  the  highest  peaks  in  the  United  States 
lifted  their  storm-beaten,  granite  heads  in  silent  majesty  above 
the  clouds.  They  were  crossing  the  Cottonwood  Pass.  I 
remember  reading  of  mountain  passes  when  a  boy.  My 
childish  conception  was  that  a  pass  was  a  level  open  way,  as 
smooth  as  a  turnpike,  and  about  as  wide.  I  also  remember 
that  the  Rocky  Mountains  were  depicted  on  the  map  by  a 
winding  dotted  line  which  gave  an  impression  that  they 
attained  considerable  elevation.  I  supposed  this  stupendous 
system  to  be  a  winding  ridge,  something  like  a  railroad  fill, 
only  on  a  magnificent  scale.  O  geography,  how  delusive  are 
thy  teachings  to  the  mind  of  childhood,  when  not  supple- 
mented by  a  skillful  teacher!  A  mountain  pass  is  usually 
simply  a  place  where  it  is  possible  to  climb  over  at  all.  The 
Rocky  Mountain  system,  instead  of  one  petty  ridge,  has  a 
width  of  hundreds  of  miles,  with  range  after  range,  peak 
beyond  peak,  open  valleys,  yawning  canyons,  and  solitary 
buttes,  scattered  in  wild  confusion.  Perhaps  many  of  our 
opinions  of  mature  years  would  be  found  as   imperfect  as  the 


lyS  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

child's  notions  of  geography  if  we  only  took  the  trouble  to 
find  out  by  a  little  thinking.  Man  is  an  animal  who  thinks 
under  protest. 

Each  day  the  travelers  grew  a  little  more  footsore  and 
weary.  Each  day  the  task  of  packing  the  animals  became  a 
little  easier.  Each  day  hope  rose  higher  as  the  party 
approached  the  end  of  their  journey, — the  silver-ribbed  moun- 
tains where  treasure  awaited  them,  though  to  most  miners  it 
proves  as  fleeting  as  the  bags  of  gold  which,  as  a  child,  I  was 
told  lay  concealed   beneath  the  ends  of  every  rainbow. 

The  only  incident  which  might  have  proved  of  impor- 
tance was  £l  fire  in  camp.  It  was  on  Slate  River,  a  clear, 
rushing  tributary  of  the  Gunnison.  Norvvell  rose  first,  and 
stepped  out  of  the  little  tent  into  the  clear,  frosty,  mountain 
air.  Though  it  was  July,  the  temperature  was  below  the 
freezing  point,  and  the  mud  along  the  water's  edge  had  a  thin 
crust  frozen  over  it  in  places.  Norwell  was  cook  for  the 
party,  Wilson  attended  the  donkeys,  and  Doffmeyer  got  wood 
and  water.  The  tent  was  pitched  beside  a  little  clump  of 
Cottonwood  trees.  Norwell  thought  that  a  bright  fire  would 
add  greatly  to  the  comfort  of  the  situation.  Thoughtlessly 
he  struck  a  lighted  match  into  the  dry  trunk  of  a  prostrate 
and  decaying  cottonvvood.  Soon  a  genial  blaze  sprang  into 
the  air,  snapping  and  crackling  among  the  brushwood,  and 
creeping  forward  almost  like  a  thing  of  life.  Tom  cried  out, 
"  Get  up,  boys,"  for  the  fire  was  very  near  the  tent. 

In  this  dry,  electric  atmosphere  everything  burns.  Green 
grass,  green  brushwood,  even  the  green  leaves  on  the  trees, 
burn  viciously  as  they  will  nowhere  else.  Many  an  unfortu- 
nate camper  has  lost  his  little  outfit  in  some  lonely  mountain 
gulch  by  a  fire  which  was  thus  carelessly  started  by  himself 
or  another.  In  some  cases  the  loss  of  property  is  not  the 
worst,  and  only  blackened  corpses,  with  the  iron  utensils  of  the 
outfit,  mark  the  scene  of  the  dreadful  disaster.  The  fire  will 
climb  and  seethe  and  crackle  and  roar  around  naked  cliffs, 
where  there  is  apparently  next  thing  to  nothing  for  it  to  feed 
upon,  all  the  while  emitting  dense  volumes  of  suffocating 
smoke,  pungent  with  the  burning  gum  of  the  pine  and  spruce. 
It  will  climb  to  the  very  top  of  a  lofty  pine  tree,  transform- 
ing it  into  a  flaming  pillar  of  fire. 

At  length  Tom  began  to  be  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  the  tent. 
The  fire,  not  satisfied  with  licking  up  evervthingon  the  ground, 
was  climbing  to  the  very  tops  of  the  green  cottonvvood  trees 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  1 79 

twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  high,  and  wrapping  them  in  flames 
which  emitted  dense  vokunes  of  whitisli,  steam-Hke  smoke. 
Wilson  and  Little  Hackett  were  dressing.  The  Expert  was 
still  in  bed,  wrapped  in  his  blankets.  He  was  always  the  last 
man  np,  but  inanaged  to  strike  a  good  average  in  prompti- 
tude by  being  first  at  the  table.  The  fire  gave  one  mighty 
swoop,  engulfed  the  trees  only  a  few  feet  from  the  tent,  and 
showered  down  sparks  all  over  the  flimsy  cloth  structure, 
setting  it  on  fire  in  a  dozen  places. 

Wilson  and  Norwell,  fully  realizing  the  danger,  with  a 
few  jerks  wrenched  the  tent  pegs  from  the  sandy  soil,  and 
dragged  the  tent  to  a  place  of  safety  on  the  prairie.  The 
Expert,  who  now  thought  it  advisable  to  rise  at  once,  was 
left  en  dishabille  shivering  in  the  cold  mountain  air.  Seizing 
a  blanket,  he  enveloped  his  scientific  person  in  it,  grabbed  his 
clothing,  and  fled  to  the  prairie  to  complete  his  toilet. 

By  strenuous  exertions  everything  was  saved,  though  the 
fine  new  blankets  had  little  holes  burned  in  them,  and  the 
tent  was  rather  liberally  supplied  with  air  holes  about  the  size 
of  bullet  holes,  through  which  the  rain  afterward  dripped 
dismally,  as  a  constant  reminder  of  the  exciting  episode  on 
Slate  River.  It  was  a  narrow  escape  from  a  serious  disaster, 
for  in  that  remote  region  it  would  have  been  utterly  impossi- 
ble to  replace  the  outfit. 

The  hardships  of  this  rough  life  told  severely  on  Little 
Hackett.  In  ?.  few  days  he  was  taken  with  mountain  fever. 
In  many  cases  this  disease  greatly  resembles  certain  forms  of 
fever  and  ague.  The  poor  hunchback,  with  pale  face  and 
"goose-flesh,"  shivered  over  the  roaring  camp  fire,  the  very 
pictiu-e  of  abject  misery.  He  was  burning  up  in  his  vitals 
and  freezing  at  his  extremities.  His  head  seemed  ready  to 
burst  from  the  combined  effects  of  the  altitude,  the  disease 
and  the  quinine  which  he  took  every  hour.  When  nature 
made  a  supreme  eflfort  to  throw  off  the  disorder  there  was  an 
uncomfortable  flushing  which  in  a  vigorous  constitution  would 
have  been  fever.  This  was  followed  by  a  reaction  in  which 
the  sufferer  shivered  in  a  way  that  was  pitiable  to  see.  An 
herb  grew  in  the  mountains,  which  was  a  sovereign  remedy, 
but  they  were  not  certain  just  what  it  was,  and  so  adminis- 
tered the  world-wide  remedy,  quinine.  They  had  little  hopes 
of  his  recovery,  and  camped  for  a  while  to  see  if  rest  would 
enable  him  to  cope  with  this  formidable  disease.  To  their 
great  joy  he  was  perfectly  well  in  a  few  days,  and  felt  b  etter 


I  So  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

than  before.  After  a  toilsome  tramp  of  ten  days,  which  a 
rustler  would  have  made  in  five,  the  party  plodcled  weaiily, 
late  one  Saturday  afternoon,  into  the  little  mining  town  of 
Ruby  Buttes,  situated  in  the  Elk  Mountains. 

Ruby  Buttes  had  many  attractions  for  the  miner.  It  cer- 
tainly liad  none  for  the  tourist  or  the  person  who  was  unwill- 
ing to  dispense  with  the  most  ordinary  comforts  of  life.  The 
straggling  town  lay  in  a  rough  mountain  gulch  over  ten  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  This  gulch  was  little 
else  than  a  vast  stone  pile  covered  thinly  with  soil.  The  main 
street  ran  up  the  center  of  this  great  mountain  hollow.  On 
either  side  the  ascent  soon  terminated  in  the  abrupt  steeps  of 
the  mountains,  whose  sides  had  been  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  stately  spruce  timber.  These  magnificent  trees 
sprang  into  the  air  as  straiglit  as  a  ruler,  the  slender  tufted 
tops  waving  gracefully  in  the  mountain  breezes.  Most  of  the 
timber  had  now  fallen  before  the  ruthless  axe  of  the  miner. 
The  American  seems  to  have  an  instinctive  enmity  to  trees. 
His  heart  pulses  with  delight  to  see  a  lofty  monarch  of  the 
forest  fall  before  the  axe.  If  he  does  not  wish  to  use  a  tree 
he  often  cuts  it  down  merely  for  the  sake  of  destroying  it. 
This  blind  and  senseless  waste  is  about  to  result  in  a  timber 
famine. 

The  houses  were  built  of  logs  or  spruce  boards.  The  log 
houses  were  covered  with  dirt  which  made  an  excellent  roof 
in  this  climate.  Split  logs  were  first  laid  on  as  the  sub-struc- 
ture, then  spruce  trees  were  peeled  to  the  height  conven- 
iently reached  by  a  man,  and  the  bark  laid  on  somewhat  like 
shingles  to  prevent  leaks.  Over  this  was  thrown  about  a 
foot  of  dirt  carefully  beaten  down.  Such  a  roof  would  with- 
stand heavy  rains  with  few  leaks.  Some  buildings  of  consid- 
erable size  consisted  merely  of  a  framework  of  scantling  over 
which  was  tacked  for  roof  itnd  sides  white  cotton  cloth  form- 
ing a  gigantic  tent.  Some  still  lived  in  small  tents.  In  the 
mining  district  of  Ruby  Buttes  were  gathered  twenty-five 
hundred  miners  who  were  literally  honeycombing  the  hills  in 
the  mad  quest  for  silver,  (jrambling  shops  and  dance  halls 
were  in  full  blast.  There  were  several  stores,  and  a  smelter 
was  about  to  open. 

Norwell,  Wilson  and  Hackett  spent  the  next  day,  which 
was  Sunday,  looking  around  town  and  mingling  with  the 
miners  to  pick  up  "pointers."  They  knew  it  to  be  .Sunday  by 
the  reckoning  in  their  diaries.     There  were  no  other  visible 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  iSl 

signs  which  indicated  the  fact.  The  second  commandment, 
along  with  several  others,  does  not  penetrate  to  a  mining 
camp  until  sometime  has  elapsed  after  location.  In  fact,  it 
never  seems  to  become  fully  naturalized,  but  always  appears 
to  be  on  the  point  of  migrating  to  more  congenial  climes. 

The  prospects  revealed  by  inquiry  were  not  encouraging. 
As  they  neared  the  place  forlorn,  greasy  miners  on  foot  or  horse- 
back met  them  with  doleful  tales  of  snow,  hunger  and  privation. 
But  what  was  worst  of  all  was  the  fact  that  little  silver  had 
been  seen.  Hundreds  remained  in  camp,  who  had  spent  their 
last  dollar  and  eaten  almost  their  last  bite  of  "  grub."  They 
must  either  await  remittances  from  the  East,  or  go  to  work 
as  common  laborers  in  the  mines.  It  is  hard  for  a  man  to 
sw^ing  the  pick  when  he  imagines  himself  worth  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  These  ragged,  hungry  men  clung  des- 
perately to  their  claims,  each  one  deluding  himself  with  the 
belief  that  his  were  a  little  better  than  the  average,  and  that 
somehow  he  would  strike  it  rich  if  others  did  not. 

The  mining  fever  is  a  mania,  a  delusion,  a  persistent  night- 
mare, which  deprives  its  victim  of  reason.  It  drives  him  on 
to  endure  rain,  snow,  hunger,  exhausting  toil,  danger  to  life 
and  limb.  For  what?  Disappointment  and  the  delusive 
hope  that  just  over  the  range  is  a  new  camp  where  he  is  sure 
to  strike  it  rich.  He  is  gambling  in  probabilities,  with  the 
chances,  a  thousand  to  one  against  him,  while  he  daringly 
stakes  life,  health,  happiness.  It  is  a  passion  which  takes 
complete  possession  of  its  unhappy  victim  to  leave  him  broken 
and  penniless  in  old  age.  Like  the  fascination  of  gambling 
or  the  degiading  spell  of  drink,  it  drives  on  its  wandering  vic- 
tim with  a  remorseless  whip  of  ungratified  desire.  Like  his 
fellow-slave  of  the  more  universal  vices,  the  disappointed 
prospector  knows  that  he  is  not  wise.  But  he  has  left  friends 
in  the  East  to  make  a  fortune  in  the  wilds  of  the  West.  Pride 
spurs  him  on.  He  will  never  go  back  poor.  One  in  a  thou- 
sand makes  a  strike.  Of  these  a  large  proportion  squander 
their  lucky  prizes  in  gambling,  or  further  prospecting;  and  of 
the  remainder  the  majority  have  acquired  habits  which  render 
them  unfit  to  enjoy  refined  society.  Fortunately  it  is  a  mania 
confined  to  a  limited  number  of  persons,  and  which  will,  with 
the  settlement  of  the  country,  finally  disappear. 

The  camp  of  Ruby  Buttes,  which  in  anticipation  promised 
so  well,  in  realization  was  a  fi  aud.  There  was  really  only  one 
first-class  mine,  the  great  "  Ruby  Queen."     This  magnificent 


lS2  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

claim,  situated  partly  within  the  village  limits,  had  paid  a 
large  profit  from  the  very  first  of  the  working.  IMassive  de- 
posits of  ruby  silver,  that  ran  one  thousand  ounces  to  the  ton, 
were  found  at  the  very  surface.  In  a  few  months  the  mine 
was  worth  a  million  dollars,  and  not  for  sale.  As  an  instance 
of  pure  luck,  it  may  be  added,  according  to  traditions  of  the 
place,  that  one  of  the  original  owners  got  his  share  for  assist- 
ing a  stranger  out  of  the  mud  with  his  team.  In  grateful  re- 
membrance of  this  favor,  the  prospector  placed  the  stranger's 
name  on  the  first  stake  he  set.  That  stake  held  the  great 
Ruby  Queen.  The  jubilant  owners  sold  too  soon  and  reaHzcd 
only  forty  thousand  dollars  for  what  in  three  months  was 
held  at  a  million.  Another  example  of  miners'  luck,  or  want 
of  it. 

The  New  Yorkers  had  come,  meaning  business,  and  de- 
termined to  do  something  in  spite  of  the  discouraging  outlook. 
They  found  the  entire  country  staked.  They  could  not  ram- 
ble about  the  mountains  anywhere  without  coming  across  a 
stake,  which  read  nearly  as  follows: 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  claim  fifteen  hundred  feet  on  this 
lead,  fifteen  degrees  east  of  north  by  fifteen  west  of  south,  ex- 
tending seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet  on  each  side  of  the  dis- 
covery stake,  with  all  dips,  spurs  and  angles. 

"  [Signed]  Jack  Wiggins, 

Jim  Higgins." 

Ever3'thing  was  staked  up  the  mountain  sides  to  the  very 
clouds,  and  above  the  clouds  in  some  instances.  The  only 
wonder  was  that  the  clouds  were  not  staked,  too,  as  the 
mountain  lakes  really  were.  Some  miners  had  ten  to  twenty 
claims,  while  they  worked  none  as  the  law  required.  Nor- 
well  and  Wilson  soon  found  that  nothing  worth  having  re- 
mained vacant.  Their  only  chance  to  secure  a  claim  was  to 
work  one  for  an  interest.  There  were  two  Germans,  broth- 
ers, who  had  five  or  six  claims,  but  were  too  lazy  to  work 
them.  They  proposed  to  let  Norwell's  party  have  an  interest 
in  one,  provided  the  latter  would  perform  the  one  hundred 
dollars'  worth  of  work  required  annually  on  each  mining 
claim.  The  Stengel  brothers  proposed  to  give  half.  Tom 
urged  that,  as  there  would  be  six  in  the  party,  all  should  share 
equally,  and  each  have  a  sixth.  Then  his  party  should  get 
four-sixths  instead  of  one-half. 

"  Vel,  dot's  all  right,"  said  Herman  Stengel.  "  You  kits 
four-sixths  oont  Bob  oont  me  kits  four-sixths."      After  much 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  183 

explanation,  backing  out  of  the  bargain  and  again  agreeing, 
it  finally  dawned  on  the  Dutchman's  intellect  that  four-sixths 
left  only  two-sixths  for  him  and  Bob,  so  the  bargain  was  com- 
pleted, and  the  New  Yorkers  were  mine  owners. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


STRIKING    IT    RICH. 


Wilson  and  Norwell  now  made  active  preparations  to 
begin  work  at  once  on  the  Bismarck,  as  the  Germans  had 
patriotically  named  the  claim.  Hackelt  would  not  be  able  to 
work  in  the  shaft,  but  could  render  valuable  aid  in  cooking 
and  going  errands  to  town.  DofTmeyer  was  to  train  the  far- 
seeing  eye  of  science  on  the  rocks,  advise  about  the  best  means 
of  working,  do  a  little  prospecting  and  a  good  deal  of  genteel 
loafing.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  move  their  camp 
to  the  top  of  tlie  mountain  near  the  claim.  There  a  site  was 
selected  for  the  tent  by  the  side  of  a  mountain  lake,  amid  the 
majestic  spruces  which  clothed  the  hillside.  When  they  got 
fairly  settled  they  would  build  a  cabin  to  live  in.  Off  to  the 
northwest  the  great  Ruby  Peak  pierced  the  very  clouds,  and 
sometimes  showed  a  covering  of  fresh  snow  after  an  August 
rain.  To  the  east  was  the  great  rouncl  dome  of  Mount  Car- 
bon. The  Germans  moved  to  the  same  spot  for  the  sake  of 
company.     Everything  was  now  ready  to  go  to  work. 

The  Germans  in  their  generosity  had  sold  the  new  comers 
another  claim  on  the  same  conditions  as  the  Bismarck. 
It  was  decided  to  work  this  second  first,  as  it  was  much  closer 
to  camp  than  the  Bismarck.  The  party  were  in  high  spirits. 
They  had  been  in  camp  only  a  week  and  already  had  an  in- 
terest in  two  good  claims.  They  were  as  well  off  as  the  Ger- 
mans who  had  tramped  over  the  pass  in  April,  carrying  their 
blankets  and  provisions,  on  snow  shoes.  These  pioneers  hai] 
endured  unparalleled  hardships.  The  flour  which  the  Sten- 
gels carried  in  on  their  backs  would  have  sold  readily  in  Ruby 
Buttes  at  twenty-seven  cents  per  pound. 

On  Monday  morning  the  New  Yorkers  began  work  on 
their  claim.  A  huge  fragment  of  rock  literally  ribbed  with 
galena  projected   from  the   mountain  side.     Galena   is  a  very 


184  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

seductive  ore.  Its  regular  cubes  and  fresh  silvery  appearance 
make  it  very  attractive  to  the  tenderfoot.  He  can  see  for 
himself  that  he  has  some  kind  of  mineral  beyond  question. 
Most  kinds  of  ores,  and  many  of  the  very  richest,  furnish  to 
the  unpracticed  eye  no  more  indications  of  precious  metals 
than  may  be  seen  in  a  brick.  But  the  man  who  strikes  galena 
has  sometliing  he  can  see  in  large  masses.  There  is  nothing 
stingy  about  it — at  least  in  the  quantity  of  lead.  It  may  con- 
tain twenty  per  cent,  silver,  perhaps  not  one  per  cent.  The 
Expert,  after  careful  examination  and  much  hammering  of 
pieces,  decided  it  a  good  thing  and  predicted  a  body  of  it. 
This  was  highly  satisfactory  informatioji.  Norwell  and  Wil- 
son went  to  work  with  a  will  picking  down  the  rock.  Doff- 
meyer  cut  some  logs  in  a  lazy,  half-hearted  way,  and  leveled 
off  a  spot  on  which  to  sort  ore.  He  grunted  continually 
while  engaged  in  labor.  Work  was  to  him  a  refined  species 
of  torture.  He  could  pick  an  hour  at  a  quart  of  rock.  Nor- 
well, whose  buoyant  nature,  unused  to  disappointment,  alwa3-s 
viewed  things  in  the  rosiest  aspect,  predicted  that  the  donkeys 
would  be  needed  before  the  end  of  the  week  to  pack  ore  down 
the  mountain  to  the  smelter. 

They  blasted  offa  portion  of  the  huge  rock  and  dug  around 
the  projecting  part.  Somehow  it  did  not  seem  to  widen  out 
in  the  ground  as  was  necessary  to  constitute  a  part  of  the 
"country  rock,"  as  the  prevailing  formation  was  called.  Still 
the  Expert  kept  on  sorting  the  ore,  which  he  arranged 
with  artistic  taste  in  a  neat  little  pyramid.  Wilson's  thoughts 
that  night  when  they  quit  work  were  possessed  with  a  dire 
foreboding.  He  was  afraid  the  rock  would  not  hold  out. 
This  may  seem  a  groundless  fear  in  a  country  where  the 
mountains  were  all  made  of  solid,  everlasting  stone.  Next 
day  they  renewed  their  work  with  undiminished  vigor.  They 
were  determined  to  tind  something  in  that  big  rock  or  expose 
its  miserable  pretensions.  A  final  shot  did  the  work.  A  stick 
of  powder  sent  the  huge  boulder  flying  down  the  mountain  in 
a  score  of  pieces,  and  left  what? — a  big  hole  in  the  hillside. 
They  sat  a  few  moments  in  silence,  then  a  hearty  laugh  fol- 
lowed at  the  sudden  destruction  of  their  mine  by  an  over- 
charge of  230wder.     Norwell  exclaimed: 

"  Well,  boys,  this  is  a  funny  country.  Even  nature  puts 
up  a  job  on  the  tenderfoot."  Wilson,  with  a  face  as  grave  as 
a  deacon's,  inquired  of  DofFmeyer  whether  they  had  better 
move  the  ore  dump  down  to  the  present  location  of  the  mine, 
or  attempt  to  bring  back  the  mine  to  the  ore  dump. 


AN    IKON    CItOWN.     ■  185 

"  What  are  the  indications  now,  DofFmcyer  ?"  said  Nor- 
wcll. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  tell  you  no  man  can  sec  plumb  throug-h  a 
rock.  But  that's  mighty  rich  stuff,  anil  if  it  had  held  out 
we'd  been  heeled."  There  was  no  disputing  logic  like  this, 
but  had  he  taken  the  pains  to  walkmp  the  gulch  a  mile  he 
could  have  seen  the  very  cliffs  whence  some  ancient  glacier 
had  torn  this  huge  fragment  in  past  ages.  But  he  preferred 
to  work  by  theory,  like  the  two  geniuses  who  spent  half  a 
day  discussing  whether  hot  water  would  ignite  gunpowder. 
In  mining  regions  hopes  are  laid  to  rest  with  great  facility 
and  dispatch.  It  only  remained  now  to  try  the  Bismarck 
lode. 

The  Bismarck  had  one  very  strong  point  in  its  favor. 
There  was  no  danger  of  blowing  the  rock  all  away  at  once. 
It  was  situated  on  the  side  of  an  exposed  granite  clifl",  whose 
walls  were  like  iron.  A  lonesome  crooked  stake  announced 
that  the  Stengels  had  located  the  claim  May  28.  A  blaze  on 
a  spruce  tree  had  been  added  as  a  ^precautionary  measure  to 
enable  them  to  find  their  precious  possession  again.  The 
melting  snow  had  in  a  little  more  than  a  month  left  this  blaze 
ten  feet  up  the  tree.  Why  any  human  being  should  claim 
any  part  of  that  lonely  mountain  side,  or  even  take  it  as  a  gift, 
was  not  very  apparent.  Silver  was  the  magic  talisman  which 
had  given  that  little  crooked  stick,  in  this  lonely  spot  on  this 
bare  granite  mountain  side,  an  importance  that  might  rival 
the  title  deeds  to  a  block  on  Fifth  Avenue.  The  party 
scrambled  slowly  up  the  precij^itous  slope  to  the  Bismarck. 

Two  days'  hard  labor  by  men,  one  of  whom  had  done 
no  work  for  years,  the  other  never,  began  to  tell  on  them. 
Norwell  and  Wilson  could  scarcely  move  a  muscle  that  did 
not  respond  by  a  thrill  of  pain  more  or  less  acute.  Their 
arms  were  as  sore  as  if  they  had  been  beaten,  and  their  legs 
almost  refused  to  propel  their  bodies,  which  literally  had  to 
be  pushed  up  the  hill.  The  great  altitude  rendered  breathing 
difficult,  and  at  times  caused  a  feeling  of  exhaustion  so  com- 
plete and  overpowering  that  the  weary  toiler  dropped  on  the 
cold  rock  to  snatch  a  brief  rest. 

The  Expert  held  an  inquest  first.  He  picked  offlittle  bits 
of  rock  and  carefully  examined  them  under  a  microscope.  He 
set  his  compass  and  traced  the  course  of  the  seams  in  the  rock. 
He  took  a  liberal  chew  of  tobacco  and  scratched  the  rock  with 
a  pocket  knife.     Finally  he  decided   that  the  indications  were 


l86  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

not  so  bad  after  all,  but  they  should  have  to  cut  for  the  vein. 
Now  cutting  for  a  vein  slightly  resembles  cutting  the  hay- 
stack for  a  needle.  By  means  of  a  good  hay  knife,  backed  by 
muscle,  you  may  readily  cut  the  haystack  in  two,  but  there  is 
a  possibility  that  you  may  miss  the  needle.  So  you  may  tunnel 
into  a  mountain  a  mile  ki  a  mineral  country  and  not  strike  a 
single  vein.  A  brick  yard  would  have  shown  as  much  indi- 
cation of  a  silver  vein  as  did  the  Bismarck  lode.  But  others 
were  boring  the  mountain  full  of  holes  on  every  side  of  them, 
and  this  was  about  as  good  a  place  to  dig  as  any.  Wilson 
humorously  suggested  one  valuable  feature  of  the  location.  It 
had  a  splendid  dump,  for  the  dirt  and  rocks  went  rattling 
down  the  steep  mountain  hundreds  of  feet  toward  the  little 
creek,  till  in  the  far  distance  they  seemed  like  little  brown 
animals  leaping  along  the  ground. 

They  picked,  shoveled,  drilled  and  blasted  in  that  flinty 
granite,  which  seemed  as  tough  as  steel.  Giant  powder  was 
the  only  agent  which  accomplished  much.  That  shivered 
and  tore  the  rocks  into  thin  slabs  like  cord  wood.  These 
pieces  were  often  wedged  in,  and  for  some  inexplicable  reason 
the  big  end  of  the  wedge  always  seemed  ancliored  down  in 
the  rock.  It  was  a  task  of  unremitting,  arduous  labor,  which 
seemed  to  accomplish  little  or  nothing.  Norwell,  who  had 
never  done  a  day's  manual  labor  in  his  life,  suffered  severely. 
Only  his  indomitable  pluck  sustained  him.  Wilson,  who  had 
often  swung  an  axe  or  handled  the  shovel  on  the  farm,  soon 
dropped  into  the  old  swing  of  the  arm,  and  performed  more 
labor  than  his  partner  with  much  less  effort.  Tom  never 
could  acquire  this  steadiness  and  unerring  aim  which  enabled 
Wilson  to  hit  a  drill  head  every  time  with  telling  effect,  and 
his  muscles  ached  as  if  they  would  crack. 

The  raw  air  and  the  alkaline  water  caused  his  hands  to 
chap  till  they  opened  on  the  knuckles  in  ugly  seams  which 
oozed  blood  constantly  under  the  jarring  of  the  hammer  on 
tlie  drill.  The  most  effectual  remedy  for  this  painful  trouble 
consisted  in  dipping  a  dry  spruce  splinter  into  pork  fat,  hold- 
ing it  in  a  candle  tlame  till  it  took  fire,  then  dexterously  drop- 
ping the  boiling  grease  into  tht  gaping  wound.  He  secretly 
cursed  the  country  for  the  first  two  or  three  weeks,  and  re- 
solved that  if  he  ever  saw  civilization  alive,  he  would  drive  a 
scavenger's  cart  before  he  would  again  engage  in  mining. 

Ten  days  found  them  into  the  rock  less  than  ten  feet,  and 
still  the  same  ugly   gray  granite  with   whitish  spots,  which 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  187 

looked  like  the  spots  in  "head  cheese."  Tlie  time  of  the 
Expert  was  too  vakiable  for  him  to  swing-  the  sledge  for  any 
protracted  period,  so  he  spent  a  great  deal  of  it  looking  at  the 
rocks.  By  much  scraping  and  searching  he  finally  obtained 
a  little  fragment  which  had  a  spot  in  it  about  the  size  of  a  pin 
head,  where  the  beautiful  wine-colored  flash  of  the  ruby  was 
visible.  The  discovery  of  ruby  silver  in  this  camp  always 
created  a  sensation.  The  mercury  in  the  thermometer  of 
hope  soared  sky  ward  at  once.  Everybody  went  to  work  with 
a  will.  It  was  decided  to  eidarge  the  shaft.  When  the  top 
soil  was  removed  on  one  side  for  this  jDurpose  a  sight  was 
presented  that  made  their  hearts  fairly  leap.  There  exposed 
to  full  view  was  a  vein  of  blackish  quartz  nearly  two  feet 
thick.  The  Expert  had  been  squatting  over  the  place  for  ten 
days  in  utter  ignorance  of  the  location  of  this  attractive  streak 
of  crystal  rock  that  promised  such  a  rich  reward  for  their 
labors. 

Only  the  man  who  has  experienced  the  wild  thrill  of  de- 
light that  pervades  every  fiber  of  him  who  discovers  a  new 
mine,  can  realize  the  feelings  of  the  party.  Volumes  have 
been  written  about  the  raptures  of  first  love,  but  there  is  a 
sort  of  let-me-shout  sensation  about  a  great  mineral  discovery 
that  lays  first  love  completely  in  the  shade.  When  a  wealthy 
but  respected  relative  dies,  the  favored  heir  who  is  the 
recipient  of  a  handsome  legacy  is  glad,  but  not  with  this  kind 
of  joy.  The  woman  who  swept  till  she  found  the  piece  of 
silver  was  glad,  but  not  with  this  thrilling  joy.  The  heir 
simply  gets  something  long  expected,  to  the  woman  is  re- 
stored what  was  once  her  own,  leaving  her  no  better  oflfthan 
before. 

The  seeker  for  precious  metals  on  the  contrary,  dares  not 
let  his  hope  ripen  into  expectancy.  His  quest  is  continually 
shrouded  by  an  air  of  romance,  which  attaches  to  the  wild 
regions  he  visits,  and  their  unknown  recesses  of  mountain 
vale  and  canyon.  He  often  endures  the  dangers  of  a  soldier, 
combined  with  the  feverish  excitement  of  the  gambler.  He 
counts  for  little  or  nothing  adventures  with  wild  beasts, 
wilder  men,  or  the  perils  of  nature.  Deeds  of  daring  that 
would  put  to  shame  the  stilted  exploits  of  chivalry,  are  to  him 
only  incidents  in  his  adopted  calling.  Is  it  strange  then,  when 
he  has  finally  struck  it  rich,  that  the  rushing,  tingling,  tide  of 
joy  should  swell  higher  in  proportion  to  the  uncertain  nature 
of  his  prospects?     Then  his  good  fortune  at  once  yiel,ds  great 


lS8  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

benefits.  In  the  wealthy  East  rich  men  are  so  common  as  to 
excite  no  remjlrk.  But  among  poor  miners  who  have  delved 
for  gold  by  day,  and  dreamed  of  it  by  night  for  a  score  or  so 
of  years,  the  lucky  winner  of  a  great  prize  is  at  once 
apotheosized.  His  standing  in  society  is  fixed  beyond  ques- 
tion. He  is  a  man  of  consideration.  A  feeling  of  respect 
exists  for  him  something  akin  to  that  felt  in  Mohammedan 
countries  toward  the  pious  devotee  who  has  made  the  pil- 
grimage to  Mecca.  Though  Tom  Norwell,  Arthur  Wilson, 
and  Little  Hackett  were  new  at  the  business,  a  man  is  never  too 
new  to  feel  in  full  force  this  intoxicating  thrill  of  exaltation. 

With  an  ardor  which  scarcely  knew  fatigue  they  attacked 
this  flinty  ledge  of  quartz  as  if  it  had  been  a  bar  that  sepa- 
rated them  from  sweet  freedom.  For  the  benefit  of  the 
reader  whose  education  in  respect  to  mining  affairs  has  been 
overlooked,  I  will  say  that  quartz  veins  may  be  compared 
with  great  planks  set  into  the  ground  edgewise.  They  ex- 
tend to  unknown  depths,  but  usually  their  length  on  or  near 
the  surface  is  not  great,  seldom  reaching  more  than  a  mile  in 
the  longest  and  only  a  few  hundred  yards  in  the  smaller.  As 
this  flinty  strip  is  firmly  bound  by  the  rocks  adjoining  the 
vein,  and  the  whole  inserted  between  wall  rock  as  firmly  as 
if  it  had  grown  there,  which  it  possibly  did,  sinking  on  a 
vein  is  very  slow,  laborious,  and  expensive  work.  Paying  ore 
is  seldom  near  the  surfiice.  It  requires  large  capital  to  work 
a  mine,  and  thus  the  impoverished  miner  often  loses  a  rich 
find  from  sheer  inability  to  get  deep  enough  to  see  what  he  has. 

That  night  the  boys  went  home  very  tired,  but  in  capital 
spirits.  They  were  thoroughly  satisfied  with  the  situation.  One 
soui^ce  of  uneasiness  however,  remained.  Little  Hackett  did 
not  improve  in  health  as  had  been  confidently  expected.  The 
dry,  exhilarating,  electric  air  seemed  to  excite  his  nerves, 
while  the  depressing  chill  of  such  an  altitude,  stimulated 
nature  to  keep  up  the  fires  of  the  body  to  meet  the  increased  de- 
mand for  warmth.  A  robust  person  with  an  excess  of  fat  im- 
proves at  once  under  such  conditions.  Poor  Little  Hackett's 
puny  frame  and  feeble  powers  must  soon  succumb.  Hackett 
had  gone  down  to  the  town  to  purchase  powder  and  other 
necessary  supplies.  Both  Norwell.  and  Wilson  felt  uneasy 
about  his  condition,  but  Tom,  who  had  suggested  his  coming 
to  the  country,  was  particularly  worried.  He  had  been  the 
means  of  losing  the  boy's  money — was  that  flickering  life  to 
be  charo^ed  to  his  account  too.? 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  189 

«  Arthur,  what  do  you  think  of  Hackett?  "  Tom  felt  that 
he  could  reh'ain  no  lonj^cr  from  mentioning  what  now  re- 
curred to  his  mind  again  and  again. 

"  He  doesn't  seem  to  mend  as  he  ought  to.  We  must  not 
overtax  him." 

"  I'm  sorry  that  we  sent  him  down  town  for  those  things. 
That's  a  hard  chmh  on  the  hill." 

"Tom,  I  don't  think  that  will  hurt  him.  He  must  keep 
moving.     It  isn't  safe  to  siL  around  in  this  chilly  climate," 

"  Wilson,  I'll  do  the  cooking  hereafter,  and  rest  Hackett." 

"  No  vou  wont." 

«  Why  not?" 

«  I  thought  we  were  to  share  and  share  alike.'*" 

"  So  we  were.     I'm  not  talking  about  profits." 

"  Mining  law,  the  world  over,  is  share  gains,  share  pains. 
If  he  isn't  able  to  do  his  work,  Doffmeyer  and  I  will  take  our 
turns  at  it."  Had  the  Expert  been  present  he  might  have 
put  a  different  interpretation  on  mining  law,  for  his  intoler- 
able laziness  made  it  difficult  for  him  to  perform  the  part  al- 
ready assigned  him. 

They  ate  in  the  open  air.  A  large  spruce  tree  had  fallen 
across  a  prostrate  fellow  and  broken  square  in  two.  At  this 
junction  a  flat  pine  box  did  duty  as  a  table.  The  logs  served 
for  seats,  and  each  man  placed  his  plate  on  his  knees  helping 
himself  from  the  bacon  in  the  spider,  or  the  stewed  fruit  or 
rice  in  the  sauce-kettle.  It  was  a  ve«^  sociable  arrangement, 
and  not  at  all  inconvenient.  Two  shaggy  little  spruce  trees 
the  height  of  a  man,  served  as  a  kitchen.  Under  them  were 
placed  the  dishes  and  any  food  remaining;  on  them  hung  the 
towels.     At  supper  time  Tom  inquired: 

"  Hackett,  how  did  you  find  the  hill?" 

"  Awful  steep.  It  just  takes  my  breath  clear  away.  I 
had  to  stop  every  two  rods  to  rest.  Somehow  I  can't  climb 
as  you  fellows  can." 

"  Oh,  you'll  get  used  to  that.  I  was  the  same  way  at  first," 
said  Doffineyer. 

"  But  I  get  no  better.  Sometimes  I  feel  so  weak  that  I 
just  have  to  stop  and  sit  right  down.  Then  sometimes  I  feel 
splendid." 

"Maybe  you  had  better  not  go  down  the  hill  any  more," 
said  Tom. 

"  Oh,  I  couldn't  do  without  letters.  Got  one  from  Mary 
to-day,  and  she  wishes  to  be  remembered." 


190  '  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Thanks.  If  you  would  rather  work  round  the  camp  I'll 
go  after  your  letters."  Tom  made  this  remark  as  a  delicate 
feeler.  He  knew  that  Hackett  would  loathe  the  idea  of  be- 
coming a  mere  feeder  on  the  bounty  of  his  friends. 

"  Oh,  I  can  stand  going  errands.     I  like  it." 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  you  need,  Hackett,"  said  Doffmeycr. 
"Eat  more.  You  don't  eat  half  enough.  Take  a  big  chunk 
of  bacon  and  plenty  of  beans.  Nothing  like  bacon  and  cof- 
fee in  the  mountains."  So  saying,  he  reached  to  the  coffee- 
pot, poured  out  a  third  cup,  put  into  it  several  heaping  spoons 
of  sugar,  walked  to  the  tent,  took  out  a  can  of  plum  butter, 
helped  himself  to  a  plateful,  sat  down,  took  another  big  bis- 
cuit, and  a  fresh  start.  Norwell  had  for  some  time  been 
utterly  disgusted  with  the  Expert's  laziness  and  selfishness, 
but  the  deliberate  piggishness  of  his  appropriating  a  luxury 
which  the  others  had  not  shared  aroused  in  the  minds  of  the 
other  three  a  feeling  of  ill-disguised  contempt.  But  Norwell 
was  too  sensitive  a  gentleman  to  make  any  remarks  about 
what  another  ate.  Wilson  was  a  person  of  a  very  different 
stamp.  His  rugged  sense  of  manliness  and  propriety  would 
not  allow  him  to  overlook  so  contemptible  an  act. 

"John,  it  strikes  me  you  are  getting  harder  to  please  than 
when  we  first  met  you." 

"  Why?"  asked  the  Expert,  his  mouth  full  of  biscuit  and 
plum  butter. 

"  You  can't  get  along  with  one  kind  of  sauce,  when  the 
rest  of  us  can  make  a  meal  without  any." 

Not  another  word  was  said,  but  a  spark  was  blown  which 
might  kindle  a  dangerous  flame  in  so  small  a  community. 
Norwell  and  Wilson  decided  that  possibly  different  food 
might  be  better  for  Hackett.  None  of  the  party  had  tasted 
butter  or  potatoes  for  six  weeks.  There  was  little  doubt  that 
the  Bismarck  would  prove  a  big  thing,  and  repay  them  well 
for  all  expenditures.  They  decided  to  buy  some  butter  and 
potatoes  at  once.  Potatoes  were  only  twenty  cents  a  pound, 
and  a  shriveled  article  at  that.  Ranch  butter  was  one  dollar 
per  pound,  creamery  butter  seventy-five  cents.  Ranch  eggs 
were  seventy-five  cents  per  dozen,  hay  one  hundred  dollais 
per  ton,  and  other  things  in  proportion. 

With  light  hearts  they  worked  early  and  late  on  the  Bis- 
marck. The  Stengels  came  every  day  to  see  the  prospect. 
They  made  no  attempt  to  conceal  their  boyish  delight  at 
their  good  fortune.     The  whole  party  agreed  that  it  was  best 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I9I 

to  keep  quiet  about  the  claim  until  they  knew  just  what  they 
had,  and  till  the  claim  was  surveyed  and  recorded  according 
to  law.  In  new  mining'  camps  it  is  often  positively  dangerous 
for  one  man  to  hold  a  rich  claim;  it  may  be  hazardous  even 
for  a  party.  Ruby  silver  had  been  discovered  in  the  pay 
streak  in  rich  masses,  and  in  this  camp  the  very  name  ruby 
was  enough  to  set  men  wild  with  excitement  and  envy. 
The  Dutchmen  often  resorted  to  town,  to  indulge  in  the 
cheering  fluids  which  miners  frequently  employ  to  keep  their 
spirits  at  high  tide.  Under  the  stimulus  of  Rocky  Mountain 
whisky  no  wonder  that  they  left  their  senses  behind.  They 
boasted  around  town  of  their  big  strike,  exaggerating  greatly 
the  importance  of  what  was  as  yet  only  an  excellent  prospect. 
Every  report  of  a  big  strike  creates  a  great  sensation  in  a 
mining  camp.  Men  flocked  to  see  it  by  the  hundreds,  just  as 
in  civilized  communities  they  flock  to  see  a  circus.  The  hill 
was  soon  overrun  with  people  looking  for  the  Bismarck  lode. 
There  were  men  on  foot  and  on  horseback,  men  with  repeat- 
ing rifles  and  unarmed  men,  honest  men  and  villains  who 
would  cut  a  throat  for  ten  dollars.  All  this  greatly  annoyed 
Norwell  and  Wilson,  for  they  saw  in  it  a  source  of  danger. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

JUMPERS. 


The  miners  who  first  locate  a  new  camp  have  always 
enjoyed  the  right  of  making  certain  local  regulations  con- 
cerning the  size  of  claims  and  other  mining  rights.  These 
regulations  are  recognized  by  the  statutes  of  the  United 
States  as  having  the  force  of  duly  enacted  laws.  Miners  are 
a  law  to  themselves.  Even  so  have  the  individuals  who  com- 
prise these  rude'  communities  taken  the  disposition  of  the 
Sabbath  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Deity,  where  it  is  usually 
allowed  properly  to  belong,  and  regulated  it  by  a  species  of 
miners'  common  law,  which  is  more  in  accordance  with  the 
miner's  view  of  the  fitness  of  things.  Were  this  unwritten 
law  formulated,  it  might  read  something  as  follows:  Six  days 
shalt  thou  labor  on  thy  chiim  diligently  with  pick,  shovel  and 
tlrill,  taking  turns  with  thy  partner  at  the  windlass.     But  the 


192  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

seventh  day  is  peculiarly  thine  own.  On  that  day  thou  shalt 
wash  thy  shirts,  mend  thy  overalls  and  anchor  new  huttons 
thereon.  Thou  shalt  also  replenish  thy  stock  of  powder,  get 
thy  drills  sharpened,  compare  thy  rock  with  that  of  thy 
neii^hbor's  claim,  examine  thy  stakes  to  see  that  no  enemy 
hath  removed  them,  and  in  all  things  piepare  thyself  so  that 
the  labors  of  the   week  may  not  be  interrupted. 

Norwell  and  Wilson  found  little  difficulty  in  adopting  this 
code.  In  new  communities  there  is  a  sort  of  moral  stay  of 
proceedings,  which  enables  the  consciences  of  most  men  to 
take  a  breathing  spell.  Little  Hackett  and  the  Expert  had 
gone  out  to  look  at  the  lake,  whose  crystal  waters  reflected 
an  image  as  delicately  true  as  that  of  the  finest  plate-glass 
mirror.  There  were  no  fish  in  its  waters,  but  they  were  plen- 
tifully stocked  on  the  shallow  margins  with  a  species  of 
homely  lizard,  vulgarly  known  in  some  parts  of  the  country 
as  the  "  mud  puppy." 

The  clear  hot  rays  of  a  July  sun  poured  down  through 
the  somber  foliage  of  the  tall  spruce  trees.  The  snow  was 
gone  nearly  everywhere  except  from  the  big  peak  across  the 
lake,  where  it  was  eternal,  so  far  as  man  was  concerned. 
With  the  snow,  the  noisy  little  brooks  which  were  so  numer- 
ous in  June,  had  one  by  one  dwindled  into  tiny  streamlets. 
Even  the  main  creek  had  shrunk  into  a  modest  little  stream 
that  gurgled  unobtrusively  among  the  great  boulders.  The 
noise  of  rushing  water  which  is  the  chief  one  that  disturbs 
these  solitudes  had  ceased,  and  the  silence  was  oppressive. 
No  joyous  birds  gladdened  Ihe  ear  with  song,  or  charmed  the 
eye  with  gay  plumage.  A  "  camp  robber "  perched  lazily 
on  a  limb.  He  was  a  solemn-looking  creature  about  the  size 
of  a  dove,  and  somewhat  resembling  that  type  of  innocence; 
but  lie  was  a  veritable  wolf  in  shee])'s  clothing,  a  pirate  mas- 
querading as  an  envoy  of  peace,  while  he  meditated  an  attack 
on  your  biscuits  or  your  bacon.  The  predatory  ground- 
squirrel  stole  from  rock  to  rock  or  cut  his  absurd  little  capers 
on  a  log.  Thousands  of  canary-colored  butterflies  flitted 
from  place  to  place,  or  perched  in  the  bright  sunshine  on  the 
tops  of  young  spruce  trees.  Innumerable  flowers  grew  in 
the  woods  or  "  parks  "  as  the  open  little  prairies  are  called. 
There  were  thousands  of  bright  yellow  lilies,  and  a  delicate 
flower  with  a  scarlet  color  that  made  the  hillsides  glow.  The 
sweet-scented  columbine  straggled  heie  and  there.  But  most 
numerous  of  all  was  a  beautiful,  delicate  bluebell,  as  fresh  as 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I93 

the  dew  of  the  morning,  which  grew  in  an  ever-renewing 
panicle  of  floral  splendor.  On  the  tops  of  the  young  spruce 
trees,  pea-green  tufts  showed  the  new  growth  of  the  season, 
while  bluish-purple  cones  stood  bolt  upright,  exuding  a  rosin 
as  clear  as  honey.  Over  all  on  this  peaceful  Sunday  was  the 
dark,  mysterious,  cloudless  sky,  and  all  around  was  silence. 

During  the  intervals  of  laundry  work  Norvvell  and  Wil- 
son talked  of  home,  and,  as  is  natural  with  all  young  men, 
they  loved  to  speak  of  the  girls  they  left  behind  them.  Wilson 
was  rall3'ing  Tom  on  this  subject. 

"Norwell,  I  thought  you  were  a  trifle  smitten  with  May 
Bryce." 

"  Wilson,  I  wouldn't  be  so  mean  as  to  attempt  to  cut  out 
my  friend." 

Tom  had  the  best  reasons  for  believing  that  Wilson  was 
more  interested  in  another  quarter,  but  for  the  sake  of  argu- 
ment he  chose  to  keep  up  this  little  fiction. 

"Tom,  I  have  no  interest  in  the  young  lady  beyond  that 
of  friendship." 

••'  Now  see  here,  Arthur,  you  don't  expect  me  to  believe 
that  you  could  live  in  the  same  house  with  May  Brvce  for 
six  months  and  resist  the  fascination  of  those  blue  eyes  and 
bewitching  smiles,  do  you?" 

"  I  do,"  replied  Wilson,  and  somehow  his  positive  decla- 
ration appeared  to  give  Norwell  satisfaction.  "I  know  you 
couldn't  do  it.     But  how  about  your  New  York  girl?" 

"Which  one?"  said  Tom  carelessly. 

"  I  saw  but  one — Miss  Chetta  Ingledee." 

"  Oh,  Chetta  and  I  have  always  been  good  friends.  We 
were  almost  brought  up  together.  As  for  love,  I  never  gave 
it  a  serious  thought,  and  I  guess  she  hasn't.  Besides,  here  I 
am  as  poor  as  a  church  mouse,  while  she  is  the  richest  heiress 
in  New  York." 

"  All  her  millions  will  not  buy  true  love." 

"  They'll  buy  her  a  husband,  though,  whenever  she  wants 
one." 

"  Yes,  probably  some  broken-down  foreign  prince  or  titled 
snob,  without  money,  but  lots  of  blue  blood,  will  pick  her  up, 
and  think  he  has  conferred  a  great  honor  upon  the  object  of 
his  choice,  and  she  will  be  happy  to  receive  it." 

"  No,  she  has  too  much  sense  for  that.  Why,  here  come 
the  boys."  Doff'meyer  and  Little  Hackett  had  come  back 
from  their  ramble.     The  former  threw  down  a  piece  of  rock, 

13 


194  -^^    IKON    CROWN. 

and  exclaimed,  with  more  vigor  of  expletive  than  may  be  re- 
peated here : 

"  Boys,  staked  a  claim  over  there!  Big  thing  I  tell  you. 
Four  feet  of  that  truck,"  and  he  gave  the  rock  a  kick. 

"  Where  is  it?"  Nor  well  and  Wilson  both  exclaimed 
breathlessly. 

"  It's  clear  over  the  gulch  on  the  other  hillside.  Oh,  it's 
the  biggest  thing  I've  seen  in  camp.  It's  bound  to  make  us 
all  rich." 

After  dinner  they  all  started  to  see  the  new  find  and  look 
at  their  fortune.  The  miner's  system  of  financiering  is  the 
simplest  in  the  world.  He  makes  a  million  dollars  by  simply 
driving  a  stake  in  the  ground.  They  all  decided  the  new  dis- 
covery to  be  a  bonanza;  there  was  a  wide  vein  which  was 
as  prominent  as  a  militia  general  on  parade.  They  were  in 
buoyant  spirits.  The  tide  of  good  luck  had  set  toward  them 
very  strong  of  late.  They  decided  to  go  home  past  the  Bis- 
marck. There  is  a  fasciiuition  about  a  mining  claim  as  power- 
ful as  that  which  draws  men  around  a  charming  woman. 
They  cannot  keep  away,  but  return  again  and  again  to  con- 
template the  source  of  their  happiness  or  misery,  as  the  case 
may  be. 

They  peered  into  the  Bismarck  shaft,  hammered  rocks 
awhile  on  the  dump,  and  climbed  a  little  further  up  the  steep 
mountain.  There  they  saw  a  sight  which  made  their  hearts 
stand  still  with  a  great  fear,  and  caused  the  Expert  to  become 
quite  faint  with  swearing  since  his  breath  came  rather  hard  in 
the  mountains.  The  cause  of  the  trouble  was  not  a  party  of 
warlike  Utes  ready  to  take  scalps;  it  was  not  a  famished 
mountain  lion  ready  to  spring  on  his  piey ;  it  was  not  a  deadly 
serpent  barring  their  path,  for  snakes  never  lived  on  these  al- 
titudes; it  was  simj-jly  a  little  stake  standing  in  a  secluded  spot 
by  a  log,  and  containing  an  inscription  to  the  effect  that  cer- 
tain parties  claimed  the  identical  ground  covered  by  the  Bis- 
marck under  date  of  May  20th,  eight  days  before  the  Bismarck 
stake  was  set. 

At  first  sight  they  were  dumfounded.  Their  labor  was 
lost.  The  silvery  stream  that  was  about  to  pour  into  their 
pockets  was  in  danger  of  being  turned  into  the  strong  box  of 
somebody  else.  Others,  it  seemed,  had  a  prior  claim  to  the 
Bismarck.  But  second  thoughts  materially  altered  the  state  of 
the  case.  Wilson  remembered  distinctly  that  he  and  Bob 
Stengel  had  passed  that  very  spot  two  or  three  days  before, 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  I95 

and  had  seen  no  stake.  Moreover,  they  had  rested  on  that 
identical  log.  If  any  stake  had  been  there  they  could  not 
have  missed  seeing  it,  for  they  were  constantly  on  the  lookout 
for  such  things.  Closer  examination  revealed  the  fact  that 
the  stake  had  been  recently  set.  The  rocks,  too,  which  had 
been  displaced  under  a  pretence  of  beginning  work,  showed 
plainly  that  the  labor  had  been  performed  but  a  few  hours 
before.  It  was  a  daring  attempt  to  jump  their  claim  and 
swindle  them  out  of  their  property.  The  new  stake  bore  the 
name,  "  The  Tooke  Lode."  This  was  a  further  suspicious 
fiict. 

There  was,  and  is,  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Colorado  who  shall  be  known  on  these  pages  as 
J.  W.  Tooke.  With  the  fondness  for  sobriquets  which  is  a 
peculiarity  of  new  communities,  Tooke  was  st3'led  the  "Bul- 
lion Knig  "  by  his  fellow-citizens.  This  man,  who  finally  ac- 
quired enormous  wealth,  began  his  career  as  a  retail  grocer. 
There  is  nothing  especially  elevating  in  the  contemplation  of 
brown  sugar,  bacon  and  laundry  soap.  Nor  is  the  retail 
grocer's  business  specially  lucrative.  Tooke,  however,  found 
it  the  stepping  stone  to  affluence. 

^Tooke  made  his  wealth  in  mining.  There  are  always 
scores  of  miners  who  are  ."dead  broke,"  hanging  aroimd  min- 
ing camps,  hoping  for  something  to  turn  up.  Tooke  made  a 
regular  business  of  "grub-staking  "  these  men.  The  flour  and 
bacon  furnished  from  his  grocery  cost  but  little.  If  one-man 
in  twenty  made  a  fiiul  Tooke  would  soon  make  a  fortune.  As 
soon  as  the  wonderful  discoveries  at  Argenta  were  noised 
abroad,  Tooke  sent  some  men  to  the  place  who  staked  much 
of  the  best  ground.  Two  of  these  men  discovered  the  famous 
"Little  Buckeye  "  lode  which  for  a  time  paid  dividends  on 
ten  millions  of  stock.     This  was  the  basis  of  Tooke's  wealth. 

His  methods  of  financiering  in  this  instance  are  worthy  of 
description  as  illustrating  how  readily  sharpers  may  prey  on 
a  credulous  public.  Tooke  bought  out  his  penniless  partners 
for  a  small  fraction  of  the  real  value  of  the  mine,  though  the 
sum  was  to  them  a  fortune,  and  incorporated  the  "  Little 
Buckeye  Mining  Company,"  with  a  capital  stock  of  ten  mil- 
lions. Costly  machinery  was  bought  on  credit  and  operations 
began  at  once.  The  output  was  unparalleled  in  the  mining 
history  of  this  country.  Large  as  was  the  capital  stock,  it 
soon  went  above  par  and  paid  fancy  dividends.  As  Tooke 
owned  nearly  all  the  stock,  the  monthiy  dividends    went  into 


196  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

his  own  pockets.  A  mining  fever,  more  contagious  than 
small-pox,  at  once  set  in  all  over  the  country.  For  months 
men  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States  poured  into  Denver 
at  the  rate  of  fi\e  hundred  to  one  thousand  per  day  on  their 
way  to  the  new  camps.  People  believed  Argenta  to  be  a  sec- 
ond Potosi,  for  there  is  no  limit  to  public  gullibility  when  the 
public  has  once  made  up  its  mind  to  believe. 

Valuable  as  was  the  stock  of  the  "  Little  Buckeye,"  it  was 
a  noticeable  fact  that  it  could  be  purchased  in  the  markets.  A 
good  rule,  with  respect  to  mining  stock,  is  buy  only  that 
which  is  not  for  sale.  Tooke  was  evidently  a  benefactor  who 
was  willing  to  let  the  people  have  some  of  the  precious  article 
for  a  consideration.  Suddenly  the  "  Little  Buckeye  "  ceased 
to  pay  dividends.  A  great  commotion  ensued  among  the 
stockholders.  The  mine  shut  down.  It  was  examined  and 
found  to  be  exhausted.  It  had  been  nothing  but  a  great 
"pocket"  of  exceedingly  rich  ore  which  had  all  t^en  taken 
out.  But  while  the  pocket  of  the  "  Little  Buckeye"  and  its 
unfortunate  stockholders  was  as  flat  as  a  pressed  mackerel, 
Tookc's  pocket  was  inflated  to  the  point  of  bursting.  It  was 
found  that  he  had  very  little  of  the  "  Buckeye  "  stock,  but  a 
few  millions  of  ready  cash  instead.  What  was  worse,  thenun- 
fortunate  company  owed  an  immense  sum  for  machinery  and 
improvements. 

Tooke  now  had  unlimited  faith  in  mining  as  an  industry. 
Properly  managed,  he  knew  it  would  pay.  He  sent  out 
scores  of  «  grub-stakers"  to  harry  the  rock-ribbed  hills  into 
giving  up  their  precious  treasures.  His  name  appeared  in 
connection  with  nearly  every  "company,"  or  scheme  of  the 
many,  that  originated  in  that  period  of  excitement  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  money  rapidly,  easily,  and  without  the  dis- 
agreeable processes  of  hard  labor,  and  waiting.  The  major- 
ity made  inoney  on  paper.  Incredible  as  it  may  appear,  men 
argued  because  Tooke  was  in  an  enterprise,  it  must  be  a  gooil 
thing  for  others  to  go  into.  They  even  adduced  his  wonder- 
ful luck,  as  they  termed  it,  in  Little  Buckeye,  as  an  argument 
to  sustain  their  position. 

There  was  no  portion  of  the  State,  even  the  most  remote 
little  camp,  where  Tooke  did  not  have  interests.  It  was  a 
matter  of  current  talk  that  his  agents  were  not  over-scrupulous 
about  the  manner  in  which  they  obtained  claims.  If  they 
could  not  get  them  peaceably  they  jumped  them  whenever 
there  could  be  a  shadow  of  a  counter  claim  set  up.     But  this, 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I97 

of  course,  must  be  managed  adroitly,  for  of  all  men  in  the  world, 
the  Western  miners  will  endure  the  least  imposition.  By  set- 
ting up  a  counter  claim,  however,  it  was  often  possible  to 
secure  an  interest  by  compromise,  where  the  owners  were  too 
plucky  to  give  up  the  whole.  In  this  way  originates  a  large 
proportion  of  the  voluminous  and  interminable  litigation 
which  is  usually  associated  with  the  history  of  valuable  mines. 

Sometimes  unscrupulous  men  took  advantage  of  Tooke's 
reputation  to  further  their  own  ends  and  used  his  name  without 
any  warrant  whatever  for  doing  so.  His  name  on  this  stake 
at  any  rate  indicated  danger.  An  attempt  would  probably 
be  made  early  Monday  morning  to  jump  the  claim.  A  bold 
course  of  action  was  at  once  decided  upon.  The  New  York- 
ers could  not  trust  the  Germans,  for  they  had  learned  that  the 
"  Dutch  boys  "  would  lie  as  readily,  and  with  apparently  the 
same  relish  that  they  would  munch  a  pretzel.  The  Expert 
was  lazy,  and  as  afterward  proved,  cowardly.  Besides,  Wil- 
son had  virtually  quarreled  with  him.  Without  trusty  allies 
Norwell,  Wilson  and  Hackett  were  in  a  very  dangerous 
position. 

Norwell  took  Doffmeyer  aside  and  candidly  laid  the  whole 
situation  before  him,  asking  his  advice.  DofFmeyer's  greater 
experience  proved  for  once  of  some  use.  He  advised  building 
a  cabin  at  the  shaft,  and  shooting  any  persons  who  attempted 
to  seize  the  claim.  It  was  decided  to  build  at  once,  without 
disclosing  their  intentions  to  the  Germans.  The  latter 
were  known  to  be  friendly  with  the  Long  brothers,  whose 
names  appeared  on  the  stake,  and   treachery  was  suspected. 

With  axes  and  a  cross-cut  saw  they  went  to  work  with  a 
desperate  determination.  The  beautiful  straight  spruce  trees 
were  felled,  cut  into  lengths,  notched,  put  in  place,  and  soon  a 
rough  structure  was  rising  directly  over  the  Bismarck  shaft. 
They  toiled  on,  regardless  of  approaching  darkness.  An  at- 
tack might  be  expected  any  minute.  Possibly  it  was  a  race 
for  life.  Fortunately  there  was  a  moon,  which  afforded  ample 
light.  By  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  log  cabin  had 
risen  high  enough  for  the  roof.  Tlie  cracks  between  the  logs 
were  broken  by  spruce  poles  hekf  tightly  in  place  by  pins 
driven  into  auger  holes.  With  incredible  labor  they  had  ac- 
complished a  work  that  under  ordinary  circumstances  would 
have  required  at  least  two  days.  What  may  not  men  accom- 
plish when  working  for  dear  life,  or  to  prevent  the  perpetra- 
tion of  a  great  wrong  upon  them? 


198  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

Little  Hackett  had  been  sent  by  an  unfrequented  path  to 
town  to  borrow  a  Winchester  rifle  from  trusty  friends.  On 
his  return  he  manfully  set  about  transferring  provisions  from 
the  tent  to  the  new  cabin,  a  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 
All  ni<4ht  long  he  passed  and  repassed  that  rugged  path.  His 
wasted  frame  bent  under  heavy  loads  of  bacon,  flour,  dried 
fruit,  working  utensils  and  other  camp  necessaries.  At  such 
lofty  elevations  a  very  small  quantity  makes  a  load  for  a  man 
who  is  obliged  to  scramble  up  precipices,  around  rocks  and 
over  logs  and  brush.  Toward  morning  Hackett  dropped  on 
a  blanket  in  the  tent  to  snatch  a  brief  rest.  He  could  go  no 
longer.  Instantly  he  fell  asleep,  where  the  boys  found  him 
on  their  return  in  the  early  dawn. 

A  hearty  breakfast  was  cooked  and  eaten.  Blankets  and 
other  absolute  necessities  were  transferred  to  the  cabin,  and 
they  went  to  work  and  put  a  log  roof  on  the  side  next  the 
mountain,  so  that  the  enemy  could  not  command  the  rude 
fortress  from  above.  Then  they  carefuU}'  examined  the  rifle 
and  their  revolvers,  and  utterly  exhausted  by  their  unusual 
exertions,  sat  down  to  I'est. 

About  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  seven  or  eight  men  ap- 
peared over  the  hill  in  a  direction  different  from  that  which 
led  directly  to  town.  Norwell  at  once  began  hammering 
stone  as  if  they  were  at  work.  Wilson,  who  in  his  country 
life  had  some  experience  with  the  rifle,  took  that  trusty 
weapon  and  prepared  for  defence.  Doffmeyer,  who  proved 
a  coward  after  all  his  brave  talk  of  dying  on  the  claim, 
clutched  his  revolver,  but  his  face  grew  a  dirty  white,  the 
color  of  the  snow  on  Ruby  peak.  He  was  in  for  it  now,  how- 
ever, and  there  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  defend  himself 
and  get  out  with  a  whole  skin  if  he  could. 

The  new  comers  slipped  quietly  through  the  woods  with 
the  Long  brothers  leading  the  party.  The  latter  hail  set  the 
new  stake  early  the  morning  before,  and  knew  just  where  to 
find  it.  When  they  advanced  within  a  few  rods  of  the  place 
they  looked,  down  the  hill  toward  the  Bismarck  shaft.  To 
say  they  were  astonished^  is  a  very  inadequate  statement  of 
their  feelings.  They  had  calculated  on  surprising  the  Bis- 
marck owners  down  in  the  shaft,  where  they  would  be  com- 
pletely at  the  mercy  of  the  jumpers.  The  programme  was 
to  pounce  down  on  them  and  charge  them  with  being  jump- 
ers, disarm  them,  and  give  them  an  hour  to  get  out  of  the 
camp.     If  they  refused  they  w^ould   be  threatened   with   the 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  I99 

vengeance  of  the  vigilance  committee  of  the  camp.  Few 
tenderfeet  they  supposed  would  under  such  circuiristances 
refuse.  But  here  was  a  very  unexpected  apparition  in  the 
shape  of  a  cabin,  and  men  in  it.  They  stared,  unwilling-  to 
credit  their  senses.  Yesterday  there  was  no  cabin  there,  but 
the  one  before  them  was  certainly  an  uncomfortable  reality. 
The  jumpers  after  a  short  parley  among  themselves  decided 
to  resort  to  strategem,  and  if  that  failed  they  would  try  bluff. 

One  of  the  Long  brothers  advanced  a  little,  though  he 
seemed  nervous  about  getting  too  near,  mounted  a  log,  and 
hailed  the  Bismarckers: 

"  Hello  there,  Bismarck!     Say,  Bismarck!  " 

"  What's  wanted  ?  "  hallooed  Tom  carelessly  in  reply. 

«  Want  to  talk  with  you." 

"  Fire  away." 

"  Come  up  here  so  we  can  talk  better."  This  polite  invi- 
tation was  declined  with  a  derisive  laugh. 

"Come  down  here  if  you  want  to  see  us." 

«  Where  are  the  Dutchmen?"  As  the  exact  status  of  the 
Stengels  with  reference  to  this  plot  was  unknown,  it  was 
deemed  wisest  to  evade  this  question,  and  take  advantage  of 
any  doubt  that  might  exist  with  reference  to  the  number  of 
defenders  of  the  Bismarck.     Tom  replied  indifferently: 

"Oh,  they're  all  right."  Meantime  not  a  man  inside  the 
cabin  had  shown  himself  to  those  outside  for  an  instant.  Long 
was  enrasred  when  he  found  none  of  his  shallow  devices  had 
any  effect  whatever. 

"  D — n  it,  why  don't  you  come  out  o'  yer  hole  an'  talk 
like  a  man? " 

"  Why  don't  you  come  down  to  the  cabin  like  the  brave 
men  you  appear  to  be?" 

"Oh,  we're  comin',  an'  don't  you  forget  it.  See  here, 
Mr.  Norwell,  we've  just  come  up  to  notify  you  to  git  off  this 
here  claim.  The  Bismarck  is  no  claim.  You're  on  the 
Tooke  lode,  located  by  Long  brothers  eight  days  before  your 
stake  was  stuck." 

"  That's  a  lie,  and  you  know  it.  You  set  that  stake  yes- 
terday." 

"No  we  didn't,  we  set  it  last  May.  Here's  two  men 
that'll  swear  they  saw  me  set  it.  It's  older  than  yours." 
Just  then  a  swaggering  burly  ruffian  who  carried  a  heavy  six- 
shooter  on  either  hip  spoke  up: 

"  Long,  what's  the  use  o'  monkeyin' ?  Pull  up  their  d  —  d 
stake  an'  we'll  see  you  through." 


200  AN    IROX    CROWN. 

As  the  men  who  made  the  rival  claim,  it  behooved  the 
Longs  to  take  the  first  steps.  But  j^ulling  up  a  miner's  stake 
under  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  requires  even  a  higher  form  of 
courage  than  that  required  to  face  the  cannon's  mouth.  In 
the  latter  case  numbers  inspire  a  mutual  courage,  in  the  for- 
mer the  only  companionship  is  grim  death  uncomfortably 
close  to  your  side.  Long,  though  an  abject  coward,  felt  it 
incumbent  to  make  a  forv»'ard  movement  of  some  kind.  With 
a  great  show  of  braverv  he  exclaimed: 

"  Come  on,  boys.  I'll  do  it  if  you'll  all  stand  by  me." 
He  advanced  a  few  steps  when  Wilson's  voice  rang  out 
clear: 

"The  man  who  pulls  the  Bismarck  stake  will  never  pull 
another  in  this  world."  Long  stepped  back,  and  the  party 
held  another  brief  consultation.  Then  Long  again  addressed 
the  little  party  in  the  cabin: 

"  See  here,  boys,  we  don't  want  to  be  hard  on  you,  an' 
we  don't  want  any  fuss.  Mebbe  you  didn't  see  our  stake 
when  you  set  yours.  Then  of  course  you  don't  want  anything 
that  doesn't  belong  to  you.  But  there's  no  use  talkin',  our 
stake  holds  the  ground.  We've  three  men  to  3'our  one,  and 
can  git  fifty  more  if  we  want  'em.  If  you'll  git  off  the  claim 
peaceably  we'll  call  it  square." 

"^Ve'U  not  get  off  the  claim  peaceably  nor  any  other 
way.  Your  stake  is  a  lie.  We  can  prove  that  it  wasn't 
there  last  week.     If  you  want  this  claim   you  must  take  it." 

There  was  another  short  consultation,  and  the  attacking 
party  scattered  behind  large  trees.  Tom  whispered:  "Look 
out;  they're  going  to  shoot."  Tiie  party  inside  crouched  on 
the  ground  awaiting  the  result,  while  Wilson,  having  stationed 
himself  by  a  port-hole,  commanded  the  party  above.  At  a 
signal  each  of  the  jumpers  fired  two  or  three  shots  from  his 
revolver.  The  balls  struck  the  gieen  spruce  logs  with  a  dull 
sound,  or  glanced  from  their  sides,  tearing  off  great  splinters 
of  bark  and  soft  wood.  The  expert,  after  all  danger  was 
over,  still  crouched  flat  on  the  earth,  his  face  white  with 
terror.     Nobody  was  hurt. 

"The  thieves,  they'll  not  accomplish  anything  that  way," 
muttered  Wilson,  who  had  refrained  from  firing.  He  had  a 
horror  of  taking  human  life,  and  besides,  the  besiegers  were 
thoroughly  protected  by  trees.  There  were  a  few  moments 
of  profound  silence.  The  attacking  party  evidently  attributed 
the  quietness  of  their  opponents  to  fear.     There  was  another 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  30I 

movement  from  the  trees  preparatory  to  another  volley. 
Doffmeyer  frantically  strove  to  crawl  into  the  very  ground  to 
the  great  amusement  of  the  others.  Norwell  suggested  that 
he  jump  into  the  shaft,  which  was  certainly  a  safe  jolace.  Only 
shame  prevented  his  doing  so,  for  his  pretended  bravery  was 
pitiably  ludicrous  when  it  came  to  the  test.  The  most  vindic- 
tive spirit  could  not  wish  a  more  terrible  punishment  visited 
on  his  foe  than  the  agony  endured  by  a  coward  thus  brought 
to  bay.  There  was  another  succession  of  sharp  rattling  ex- 
plosions, and  again  the  bullets  flew  thick  around  the  cabin. 

"  I'll  teach  the  fools  a  little  common  sense,"  said  Wilson, 
and  the  clear,  sharp  report  of  the  Winchester  rifle  echoed 
across  the  gulch.  Simultaneously  was  heard  a  succession  of 
horrible  oaths.  One  of  the  jumpers  had  carelessly  got  behind 
a  tree  much  too  small  to  cover  his  j^ei'^on.  One  arm  pro- 
jected and  Wilson's  ball  had  broken  the  luckless  member. 

The  attacking  party  now  withdrew  further  up  the  hillside. 
But  it  was  evident  they  had  not  yet  abandoned  their  enter- 
prise, for  their  voices  could  be  heard  in  earnest  discussion. 
The  little  party  in  the  cabin  were  puzzled  at  the  meaning  of 
this  new  movement.  They  waited  in  anxious  suspense.  The 
bright  sun  now  nearly  overhead  poured  down  his  hot  rays  on 
them  as  if  in  mockery.  Perhaps  it  was  the  last  time  they 
should  ever  behold  his  meridian  splendors.  The  movement 
above  was  evidently  taking  shape.  The  jumpers  were  at 
work  behind  a  clump  of  small  spruce  bushes,  which  effectu- 
ally protected  them  from  Wilson's  rifle.  The  Expert  was 
dodging  up  and  down  on  the  slightest  alarm.  What  could 
the  jumpers  be  doing  behind  those  bushes?  At  length  Doff- 
meyer exclaimed : 

"  My  God,  boys,  they're  going  to  roll  rocks  on  us." 

"But  there  are  scarcely  any  rocks  up  there  in  the  woods," 
replied  Wilson. 

"  There's  one  big  one.  I  saw  it  the  other  day.  It's  as  big 
as  a  hay -cock  and  nearly  round." 

"  That'll  fix  us  I  guess,  and  no  mistake,"  said  Tom. 

"  It  may  miss  us  after  all.  I'll  just  put  a  bullet  through 
that  clump  of  trees  and  wake  the  rascals  up."  As  the  rifle 
ball  whistled  through  the  brushwood  there  was  another  brief 
interval  of  perfect  silence. 

"  Hadn't  we  better  get  into  the  shaft,"  suggested  Doff- 
meyer. 

"  No,"  said  Tom,  "  that  is  useless.     If  it  went  in  there  it 


202  AN    IRON    CUOWN. 

would   only   kill  all   of  us.       If  we  stay  outside  some   may 
escape.     That  big  tree  is  our  onl}'^  hope." 

This  new  clanger  was  an  awful  one.  No  human  ingenuity 
could  avert  it.  If  the  big  rock  struck  the  cabin  as  it  was 
likely  to  do,  for  a  slight  hollow  ran  directly  down  to  it,  no 
power  on  earth  could  save  them.  It  would  send  tiie  green 
logs  flying  like  a  card  house,  and  be  sure  to  kill  or  maim  some 
one,  if  not  all  of  the  inmates  of  the  structure.  One  chance 
remained.  Just  above  the  cabin  stood  an  enormous  dead 
spruce  tree,  which  even  in  decay  towered  above  its  fellows.  It 
was  thickly  covered  with  dry  branches  and  long  strips  of 
bark  dangled  from  its  trunk.  During  the  few  minutes  of 
leisure,  before  the  coming  of  the  jumpers,  the  fear  was  ex- 
pressed that  the  tree  might  fall  on  the  cabin.  Now  it  was 
suddenly  transferred  from  a  threatened  danger  into  a  source 
of  hope,  their  only  hope. 

"  Hackett,"  said  Tom,  "slip  out  and  go  to  the  tent. 
There's  enough  of  us  left.  These  murderers  will  not  shoot  at 
you  if  they  see  you.     Go  quick." 

"  No,  Mr.  Tom,  I  can  be  of  use  here  maybe.  Any  way, 
I  shan't  sneak  off." 

Suddenly  a  voice  above  sang  out :  "All  ready.  Let  her  fly." 
The  jumpers  had  by  great  effort  ])ried  the  enormous  boulder 
from  its  deep  bed,  and  were  ready  to  launch  it  on  its  mission 
of  destruction.  The  men  in  the  cabin  held  their  breath  in 
dread  suspense.  A  fiendish  shout  of  exultation  arose  as  the 
mighty  rock  plowed  its  way  through  all  obstacles.  Dry 
brush  and  loose  stones  rattled  in  its  wake  down  the  steep 
mountain  side.  It  whipped  a  spruce  tree  six  inches  in 
diameter  to  the  ground  like  a  weed.  It  went  directly  for  the 
cabin  like  a  sentient  thing  that  realized  its  purpose.  With  a 
furious  bound  high  in  the  air,  like  a  maddened  wild  beast,  it 
leaped  against  the  old  spruce  tree.  But  the  latter  was  power- 
ful even  in  death.  Tiie  shock  was  terrific.  A  perfect  shower 
of  decayed  branches  and  bark  rained  down  from  the  old  tree, 
which  swayed  like  a  reed  in  a  storm. 

The  great  rock  had  struck  a  glancing  blow.  It  spun  side- 
ways past  the  end  of  the  cabin,  snapping  one  of  the  project- 
ing logs  as  if  it  had  been  a  glass  tube,  but  doing  no  harm, 
then  with  a  mighty  bound  it  cleared  the  Bismarck  dump,  and 
went  tearing  through  the  woods  below  like  a  very  demon, 
A  cheer  that  made  the  woods  ring  was  given  by  the  party  in 
the  cabin,  while  curses  and  imprecations  on  the  old  tree  were 
heard  from  the  jumpers. 


AN    IRON    CROWiSf.  203 

The  rage  of  the  attacking  party  knew  no  bounds  when 
they  saw  the  faikn'e  of  their  pet  scheme.  They  swore  the 
most  blood-curdHng  oaths,  mingled  with  grotesque  and  in- 
geniously constructed  maledictions.  Suddenly  one  of  them 
sprang  forward  to  an  open  position,  and  fired  three  or  four 
shots  in  rapid  succession  at  the  cabin,  about  the  spot  he  sup- 
posed most  likely  to  take  effect  through  the  cracks.  The 
besieged  dropped  close  to  the  ground.  Excepting  Doffmeyer, 
they  felt  little  fear.  One  ball  however,  penetrated  a  crevice 
between  a  log  and  the  pole  that  stopped  the  crack,  tore  off 
a  piece  of  soft  wood,  glanced  and  struck  Hackett  fairly  in 
the  left  side  of  the  breast.  There  was  a  suppressed  "  Oh," 
and  the  boy,  catching  for  breath,  turned  as  white  as  a  sheet. 
Tom  sprang  to  his  side  and  tore  open  his  clothing.  The  ball 
dropped  out,  but  a  great  blue  spot  arose  almost  instantly.  No 
blood  was  drawn,  and  Hackett  smiling  in  his  pain,  gasped: 

"  I'm  all  right,  Mr.  Tom."  Wilson,  burning  with  indig- 
nation, strove  to  get  a  shot  at  the  cowardly  miscreant  who 
fired' the  bullet,  but  in  vain.  Some  new  comers  now  inter- 
rupted the  proceedings.  The  Stengels,  who  were  smoking 
in  their  cabin,  having  heard  the  cheers,  came  over  to  see 
"  Vat  was  up  mit  te  claim."  They  could  scarcely  credit  their 
senses  when  they  saw  the  cabin. 

"  Mine  gott,  who  builded  dot  cabin?  "  asked  Herman. 

"  We  did,"  said  Norwell.  "  Come  in  here  and  help  defend 
your  claim." 

"Defend  dot  claim!  Who  tries  to  jump  dot  claim  kits  a 
bullet.     Dot's  alL" 

"  Then  come  inside  and  be  as  good  as  your  word." 

"Poof!  You  bet  I  don't  go  in  dot  shanty.  Who  says 
dot  claim  isn't  mine.^" 

"You're  on  our  ground,"  said  Long. 

"Your  ground!     Not  py  a  tam  sight,"  said  Bob  Stengel. 

"  Here's  our  stake  to  prove  it." 

"  Dot  little  shtake?  Somebody  put  dot  shtake  dere  inside 
tree  tays.  We  cot  te  proof  too."  The  Dutchman,  though 
correct  in  his  opinion,  knew  he  was  lying  about  the  proofs. 
The  jumpers  however,  thought  they  had  been  seen  setting  the 
stake,  which  was  a  penitentiary  offence.  Tney,  instead  of 
finding  the  tenderfeet,  an  easy  prey,  had  got  themselves  in  a 
dangerous  predicament  should  the  whole  case  become  known 
to  the  honest  miners  of  the  place.  They  were  willing  to  get 
out  of  the  scrape  if  they  could   find  a  shadow  of  an  excuse. 


204  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

That  the  Germans  were  not  acting  honestly  in  the  matter, 
Tom  and  his  associates  suspected  from  the  first.  Their  in- 
difference now  was  unaccountable.  They  talked  all  right, 
but  were  luiwilling  to  aid  their  partners.  Besides,  they  were 
known  to  be  friends  of  the  Longs.  Finally,  Herman  Stengel 
said: 

"  Poys,  flot's  gieat  pusiness  quarrelin'  apout  claims.  Der's 
plenty  for  eferypody.  Long,  I  yoost  gifs  you  half  intrust  in 
a  claim  up  Llk  Basin  if  you'll  work  by  de  assessment." 

'*  I  don't  want  any  claim  in  the  basin.  This  is  a  good 
enough  hill  for  me."  The  entire  party  on  both  sides  were 
now  holding  a  parley  under  a  tree. 

"  Gott  in  himmel,  I'll  gif  you  half  an  interest  in  der 
Yankee  Doodle  right  ofer  on  dis  hill.  It's  a  daisy  too.  Pull 
up  dot  little  shtake  an'  go  ofer  der."  So  it  was  agreed  that  the 
Long  party  should  take  the  Yankee  Doodle,  and  give  up  all 
claims  to  tlic  Bismarck.  They  hail  accomplished  something 
at  least,  and  pretended  to  be  pleased.  Norwell  and  Wilson, 
however,  suspected  collusion  between  the  Longs  and  the 
Stengfels. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A   NIGHT  HORROR   IN   THE  SHAFT. 

Things  now  went  on  quietly  for  several  davs,  and  the 
owners  of  the  Bismarck  hoped  there  would  be  no  more 
trouble.  Miners  came  past  the  shaft  every  day,  examined  the 
ore,  pronounced  it  "mighty  rich  truck,"  peered  into  the  shaft 
and  passed  on.  These  visits,  though  chiefly  from  honest  men 
who  were  working  claims  of  their  own  in  the  vicinity,  were 
a  constant  source  of  disquiet  to  Norwell  and  Wilson.  In 
minnig  business  where  a  valuable  claim  is  in  dispute,  one 
never  knows  who  is  his  enemy  or  who  may  be  scheming  to 
beat  him  out  of  his  property.  One  day  a  big,  honest-looking 
fellow,  who  had  lost  two  fingers  from  one  hand,  came  along 
and  talked  for  some  time  with  Norwell,  who  was  taking  his 
turn  at  the  windlass  above  ground.  Finally  the  big  man, 
who  was  a  good  natured  fellow,  remarked: 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  I've  heard   all   about  your  trouble   here, 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  205 

and  I  can  give  you  a  pointer  or  two.     I  believe  you  men  are 
good  fellows  and  ought  to  know." 

"Any  information  will  be  gladly  received." 

"  Of  course  them  jumpers  was  d — d  rascals,  and  you  ought 
to  have  shot  every  mother's  son  of 'em.  But  let  me  tell  you, 
just  keep  an  eye  on  your  Dutch  partners.  I  set  a  stake  on 
this  very  spot  a  few  days  before  they  set  theirs.  When  I 
come  back  to  see  about  it  they  had  thrown  it  away  and  stuck 
up  theirs.  Of  course  I've  forfeited  my  rights  by  allowin'  the 
time  for  workin'  to  run  out."  Tom  was  silent.  The  miner 
went  on:  "My  name  is  Briggs.  You  can  find  me  any  time 
in  the  basin.  Another  thing.  It's  talked  around  the  camp 
that  the  Bismarck  is  not  surveyed  on  her  lead.  It  doesn't 
look  like  it  to  me.  See,  she  runs  about  north  and  south, 
while  your  stake  reads  thirty -five  west  of  north." 

"  I  think  we're  on  a  bend  in  the  vein,"  said  Tom. 

"  May  be,"  replied  Briggs,  "  but  these  veins  run  tolerable 
straight.  If  I  were  you  I'd  resurvey,"  saying  which  he 
shouldered  his  pick  and  shovel  and  went  his  way. 

Here  was  a  new  source  of  trouble,  which  the  boys  dis- 
cussed anxiously.  By  consulting  those  posted  in  mining  law 
they  discovered  that  a  resurvey  could  be  legally  made,  but 
that  the  rights  of  the  claim  must  date  from  the  time  of  such 
survey.  By  this  means  they  would  lose  a  large  portion  of 
their  surface  rights,  which  under  the  peculiar  workings  of 
mining  law,  would  be  taken  by  claims  of  a  later  date,  which 
already  lapped  theirs.  If  they  did  not  resurvey,  their  lead, 
instead  of  extending  on  their  own  ground  the  fifteen  hundred 
feet  allowed  by  law,  would  probably  leave  it,  and  they  should 
lose  several  hundred  feet  of  valuable  mineral.  Then,  after 
all,  the  Germans  had  deceived  them  concerning  the  title  to  the 
Bismarck. 

Sunday  was  the  day  for  collecting  "  pointers"  and  compar- 
ing notes  with  other  miners.  Next  Sunday  the  entire  party 
went  down  town.  Passing  the  only  hotel  in  the  place  some 
one  hailed  them  from  the  door.  To  their  great  surprise  it 
was  Garmand. 

"  Hello,  Garmand.     This  is  indeed  a  pleasure." 

"  It  is,  I  assure  you,  a  mutual  pleasure,  Mr.  Norwell — and 
Mr.  Wilson  too,  I  believe  ?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  the  latter;  "I'm  pleased  to  meet  old 
friends."  Wilson  took  Garmand's  hand  with  a  twinge  of 
compunction.     He  had  unmercifully  guyed  this  man  when 


3o6  AN    IKON    CUOWN. 

they  mcL  before  in  New  York,  and  now  that  he  was  a  possi- 
ble acquaintance  it  was  a  rhatter  of  regret.  After  all,  Gar- 
manil  had  sterling  qualities,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  his 
delightful  freshness  was  irrepressible. 

"  When  did  you  come  in?" 

"Just  got  in." 

"  How  do  you  like  the  country?" 

"  Cavvn't  hardly  say  yet.  It  seems  to  have  a  delightful 
primitiveness  about  it." 

"  Fairly  primitive,"  added  Tom. 

"  And  the  scenery  seems  aw— quite — I  might  say  exten- 
sive." As  Ruby  Buttes  was  situated  in  the  midst  of  the 
bewildering  grandeur  of  the  Elk  Mountains,  the  scenery 
might  with  piopriety  be  called  extensive.  After  a  pleasant 
conversation  they  wandered  aimlessly  around  town,  and  listened 
to  that  amusement  ever  dear  to  miners — lying  about  their 
claims.  Among  the  well-known  characters  of  the  camp  was 
an  iirepressible  old  Munchausen  who  went  by  the  name  of 
San  Juan  Shorty.  He  had  acquired  this  sobriquet  from  his 
diminutive  stature,  and  the  constant  repetition  of  whopping  lies 
about  his  rich  claims  in  the  San  Juan  country.  This  latter  he 
pronounced  as  if  it  had  been  an  English  word  instead  of  a 
Spanish  one,  so  guileful  in  appearance  and  so  full  of  snags  to 
wreck  articulation.  Whether  San  Juan  Shorty's  other  name 
(it  is  presumed  he  had  one)  was  ever  known  in  camp  or  not, 
is  a  matter  of  no  consequence.  He  answered  to  San  Juan 
Shorty,  and  that  is  quite  enough  for  present  purposes. 

San  Juan  Shorty  was  in  stature  about  five  feet  two,  well- 
built,  bur  lithe  and  tough  as  a  roasted  hickory  withe.  His 
complexion  was  a  rich  old  bronze,  which  approached  a  iluU 
copper.  It  was  a  complexion  made  for  service.  The  sun 
and  wind  daily  ripened  its  rare  tints.  I  will  for  a  moment 
usher  the  reader  into  the  privacy  of  Shorty's  dressing  room, 
back  of  a  dry  goods  box  in  his  tent,  and  disclose  the  secret  of 
this  wonderful  complexion.  He  seldom  vexed  it  with  soap 
and  water.  Shorty  had  a  stubby  pug  nose,  little  eyes  like 
shoe  buttons,  and  a  shaggy,  unkempt  beartl  full  of  tobacco 
juice  and  grease.  His  head  was  as  round  as  a  billiard  ball, 
and  his  very  red  ears  projected  from  the  sides  ol  the  sphere  at 
right  angles.  He  was  dressed  in  the  universal  brown  duck 
coat  and  overalls,  which  were  so  thoroughly  japanned  with 
grease  and  dirt  that  they  were  completely  waterproofed.  The 
side  pockets  of  his  coat  were  constantly  bulged  with  speci- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  20^ 

mens  of  rock  from  his  San  Juan  mines  and  elsewhere.  One 
of  his  hands  had  been  shattered  by  a  premature  explosion  of 
»^iant  powder,  leaving  the  member  badly  bent  and  waiped, 
but  still  serviceable.  He  walked  with  a  halting,  awkward 
gait,  such  as  might  be  acquired  by  a  man  who  all  his  life  had 
traveled  round  a  hill  in  one  direction  till  his  framework  got 
adjusted  to  the  slope,  rendering  it  difficult  for  him  to  walk  on 
any  other  kind  of  ground.  In  their  rambles  around  town 
they  met  Shorty,  and  Tom  introduced  him  to  Garmand. 

"  Mr.  Garmand  allow  me,  Mr.  San  Juan  Shorty.  From 
London,"  added  Tom. 

"  Very  pleased  to  know  you,  Mr.  Shorty." 

"  How  d'ye  do,  Mr.  Garmand?"  said  Shorty,  as  the  little 
black  eyes  peered  from  under  his  old  slouch  hat.  Caj^italist, 
I  reckon?" 

"  No,  hardly.  Oh,  if  I  chanced  on  a  good  thing  I  might 
pick  it  up,  possibly."  The  very  fact  that  a  man  was  from 
New  York,  Boston,  or  any  large  city  stamped  him  at  once  as 
a  "  capitalist,"  and  miners  trotted  after  him  continually,  giving 
him  no  peace  by  day  or  night. 

"  I've  got  the  biggest  thing  in  the  San  Juan  you  ever 
heerd  of.  Solid  vein  of  quartz  six  feet  thick,  full  of  gold  in 
specks  the  size  of  a  pea  and  up.  It'll  run  five  thousand  dol- 
lars to  the  ton,  an'  is  worth  five  millions.     I'll — " 

"Garmand,"  said  Tom,  "there  goes  a  man  that  I  want  to 
speak  to,  come; "  and  he  dragged  away  the  surprised  Eng- 
lishman. "That  man  will  talk  you  blind,  and  there's  no 
heading  him  off.  He's  very  amusing  though,  when  you  have 
leisure." 

"  Come  an'  see  me,"  Shorty  called  after  them.  "  First 
tent  on  the  right  as  you  pass  the  end  of  the  lake." 

"  I'll  see  him  again.    Really,  I  consider  him  quite  a  study." 

"  Yes,  you  can  put  a  great  deal  of  study  there  in  a  small 
space." 

They  now  entered  the  Elk  Mountain  saloon,  kept  by 
Texas  Jack.  Texas  Jack  was  a  gentlemanly  gambler.  He 
kept  the  most  high-toned  establishment  in  the  place.  The 
building  was  a  long  double  cabin,  that  is,  a  cabin  built  of  two 
lengths  of  logs,  making  one  long  building.  On  one  side  was 
a  bar  made  of  planed  lumber,  but  unpainted.  It  was  distin- 
guished from  the  other  less  aristocratic  bars  of  the  place  by 
the  fact  that  they  were  both  unplaned  and  unpainted.  The 
customary  metal  stoves  were  in    full   blast.     Further   toward 


2oS  A\     IKON    CROWN. 

the  rear  were  tables  for  faro,  keno,and  other  seductive  Rocky 
MouiUaia  amusements.  Here  night  after  night  some  of  the 
miners  lost  in  bets  the  money  they  needed  to  purchase  flour, 
bacon  and  powder. 

Texas  Jack  himself  happened  to  be  back  of  the  counter 
where  the  barkeeper  usually  presided.  He  was  a  magnificent 
!?pecimen  of  manhood,  six  feet  high,  and  of  powerful  build. 
His  head  was  rather  wide  at  the  base  of  the  ears,  but  he  had 
a  good  forehead  and  regular,  pleasing  features.  He  had  full 
lips,  a  chin  with  a  median  depression,  and  a  short  neck  that  in- 
ilicated  great  physical  resources.  His  keen  eye  told  at  a 
glance  that  the  man  who  got  ahead  of  Texas  Jack,  must  get 
up  very  early  in  the  morning,  possibly  he  must  stay  up  all 
night. 

He  was  dressed  in  buckskin  trousers  with  buckskin  fringe 
down  the  outer  seams,  a  short,  light-colored  corduroy  coat, 
wine-colored  velvet  vest,  blue  flannel  shirt  with  neck-tie,  and 
a  cream -coloretl  sombrero  of  immense  proportions.  Texas 
Jack  was  the  best  informed  man  in  town.  Though  no- 
body knew  anything"  of  his  antecedents,  it  was  apparent  that 
he  had  possessed  the  advantages  of  education  and  polite  asso- 
ciations in  his  youth.  Whatever  he  might  once  have  been  he 
was  now  a  frontiersman  who  knew  the  country  and  its  ways 
like  a  book.  In  the  money-drawer  lay  a  six-shooter  and  an- 
other quietly  reposed  among  the  lemons  on  a  shelf  in  plain 
view.  This  was  a  sort  of  silent  police  which  had  a  wonder- 
ful effect  in  keeping  order,  for  it  was  generally  believed  that 
no  man  in  camp  could  "get  the  drop"  on  Texas  Jack.  Yet 
his  manners  were  easy  and  cordial,  and  though  he  may  have 
"  killetl  his  man  "  elsewhere  in  the  West,  he  had  not  yet  estab- 
lished  any  such  sanguinary  reputation  at  Ruby  Buttes. 

When  Norwell,  W^ilson  and  Garmand  entered  Jack  stepped 
smilingly  forward  and  greeted  his  friends  over  the  bar, 
ready  to  minister  to  their  wants  for  things  spirituous.  This 
want  usually  took  the  form  of  whisky  straight  at  twenty-five 
cents  a  nip.  The  reader  must  understand  here  that  the  ad- 
jective straight  does  not  apply  to  the  whisky  itself,  which 
certainly  was  not  above  suspicion,  but  to  the  manner  of  serv- 
ing. Norwell,  however,  had  no  intention  of  imbibing,  but 
merely  wished  to  introduce  his  friend. 

"  Mr.  Garmand,  Texas  Jack.  Jack,  Mr.  Garmand."  To 
introduce  a  well-known  frontiersman  by  his  real  name,  ignor- 
ing the  popular  appellation,  would  be  a  grave  breach  of  eti- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  2O9 

quette  as  robbing  the  individual  of  his  acquired  laurels  and 
relegating  him  to  the  rank  of  an  ordinary  mortal.  So  the 
gambler  was  merely  Texas  Jack  instead  of  Mr.  Sanders.  To 
call  him  Sanders  would  have  been  an  insult  which  there  was 
no  legitimate  way  of  resenting,  and  would  consequently  be 
taking  a  mean  advantage  of  a  gentleman.  Jack,  leaning  over 
the  bar,  grasped  Garmand's  hand  cordially: 

"  How  d'ye  do,  Mr.  Garmand.  Happy  to  know  you. 
Eastern  man?" 

"  Rawther,  in  fact,  yes,  London,"  said  Gavmand,  with  a 
drawl  that  made  Jack's  eyes  sparkle  with  a  keen  sense  of  the 
humor  lurking  in  cockney  expression. 

"  London.  That  is  quite  a  ways  east.  As  you  are  such  a 
great  stranger,  I  recicon  the  treat's  on  the  Buttes.  What'll  you 
have,  gents?"  Garmand  took  beer.  His  limited  experience 
had  not  inured  him  to  the  peculiarly  exhilarating  influences 
of  American  whisky  when  imbibed  by  the  tumblerful.  Sev- 
eral miners  hanging  around  had  a  poorly-disguised  con- 
tempt for  the  man  who  would  pour  so  weak  a  libation  as 
beer  on  the  altar  of  newly-made  acquaintance.  Norwell, 
whose  notions  on  the  subjects  of  temperance  were  very  easy, 
said  he  would  try  a  seductive  combination  known  as  "  Rock 
and  Rye."  It  proved  to  be  a  beverage  in  which  the  rock, 
whatever  that  might  be,  greatly  predominated  over  the  rye, 
and  a  swallow  sufficed  for  Tom's  New  York  taste.  Wilson 
never  drank  under  any  circumstances,  but  knew  it  was  not 
politic  to  risk  giving  offence  to  so  influential  an  individual  as 
Texas  Jack,  so  he  took  a  cigar.  After  a  few  minutes'  con- 
versation the  party  left  the  saloon.  Garmand  remarked  to 
Tom,  as  they  were  picking  their  way  over  the  big  boulders 
that  covered  the  street : 

"  Saw  your  girl  the  day  before  I  left  New  York." 

"  Indeed,"  replied  Tom  carelessly. 

"  Yes,  she  sent  her  best  regards  to  you.  But  then  I  sup- 
pose you've  had  them  more  direct  before  this." 

"  I'm  much  obliged  to  you,"  said  Tom,  evading  the  in- 
direct question.  "  As  you  cannot  carry  mine  back  directly, 
I  suppose  it  is  useless  to  intrust  you  with  them  now." 

On  the  hill  near  the  Bismarck  was  a  claim  called  the 
Ivanhoe,  owned  by  two  young  men  who  worked  it,  and 
an  old  man  who  furnished  the  capital.  These  young  men 
were  straightforward  gentlemen.  On  this  same  Sunday  one 
of  them,  by  the  name  of  George  Mack,  came  to  Wilson  and 


2IO  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

confidentially  informed  him  that  he  was  considered  the  lead- 
ing spirit  in  the  defense  of  the  Bismarck,  and  that  the  jump- 
ing party  had  hy  no  means  abandoned  their  attempt  to  get 
possession  of  the  claim.  Since  open  jumping  by  force  of  arms, 
however,  would  not  be  tolerated  by  the  other  miners  of  the 
camp,  Mack  cautioned  Wilson  to  be  on  his  guard  constantly, 
lest  some  attempt  should  be  made  to  accomplish  by  under- 
handed measures  what  they  had  failed  to  effect  by  force. 
Mack  further  remarked  that  in  case  of  trouble  Norwell  and 
Wilson  could  rely  on  the  Ivanhoe  boys  for  assistance. 

"  I  know  the  Long  brothers  and  that  Argenta  crowd,"  he 
said.  "  They  tried  their  tricks  ud  there  till  they  had  to  skip 
the  camp." 

The  following  Monday  the  Long  party  located  the 
Keokuk  lode  on  a  little  bit  of  vacant  ground  scarcely  wider 
than  a  bed  quilt.  It  was  a  triangle  between  other  claims,  and 
so  small  that  it  had  escaped  the  notice  of  prospectors.  Under 
the  mining  laws  a  man  can  follow  an  unclaimed  lead  any- 
where underground  if  he  only  has  sufficient  vacant  surface  to 
dig  a  shaft  on.  The  Keokuk  surveyed  directly  toward  the 
Bismarck,  and  it  was  apparent  that  this  was  only  another  at- 
tempt to  steal  that  property,  which  was  showing  up  better 
every  day  as  the  work  progressed.  But  the  Keokuk  was 
legally  located,  and  there  was  no  help  for  it. 

Work  began  at  once.  As  the  two  shafts  were  but  a  short 
distance  apart,  the  two  companies  naturally  became  better  ac- 
quainted. The  Long  party  tried  to  be  cordial.  They  had 
apparently  forgotten  all  about  the  attack  on  the  Bismarck  in 
which  they  came  out  second  best.  Wilson,  having  been 
warned,  distrusted  them,  but  Norwell's  imsuspicious  good 
nature  was  inclined  to  forgive  the  attempted  wrong,  particu- 
larly since  it  had  signally  failed.  Neither  of  them,  however, 
gave  the  slightest  encouragement  to  the  advances  of  tlie  Long 
brothers,  whom  they  regarded  as  sneaking,  cowardly  and  dis- 
honest. The  other  men  frequently  came  over  to  the  Bis- 
marck to  look  at  the  "truck."  One  of  them,  by  the  name  of 
Berry,  seemed  a  fair  sort  of  fellow,  and  by  degree's  got  on 
good  terms  with  the  Bismarck  boys. 

One  afternoon  Norwell  was  obliged  to  take  some  drills 
down  town  to  be  sharpened.  DofTmeycr  took  the  windlass, 
and  Wilson  went  into  the  shaft.  Little  Hackett  had  never 
felt  right  since  the  bullet  struck  him.  In  fact,  he  seemed  to 
get  thinner  and  weaker  every  day.     He   kept  up  manfully, 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  211 

but  the  boys  allowed  him  to  do  but  little  work.  Lately  he  had 
been  taking  short  trips,  prospecting  in  company  with  a  boy  by 
the  name  of  Ward,  who  was  about  his  own  age.  These  short 
excursions  enabled  him  to  enjoy,  from  the  tops  of  the  mount- 
ains, the  magnificent  scenery  which  stretched  away  for  many 
miles  in  sublime  grandeur. 

On  this  particular  afternoon  Berry  came  over,  as  usual. 
He  was  on  the  night  shift  of  the  Keokuk.  He  spent  the 
forenoon  sleeping,  and  the  afternoon  lounging  around  other 
claims,  or  at  town.  There  was  a  tremendous  mistake  in  the 
matter  of  Doffmeyer  coming  into  this  part  of  the  world.  He 
seized  every  available  opportunity  to  escape  from  hard  work, 
and  should  have  been  born  in  those  tropical  regions  where 
men  pluck  a  luxurious  repast  from  the  trees  without  the  dis- 
agreeable preliminaries  of  planting  and  harvest.  But  for  some 
inscrutable  reason  the  Deity  had  placed  him  in  the  midst  of 
industrious  people  who  earn  their  daily  bread  by  hard  labor. 
Doubtless  lazy  people,  like  fleas,  rats  and  other  pests,  have  a 
mission,  but  it  is  not  very  apparent.  Doffmeyer  suddenly  re- 
membered that  he  had  pressing  business  down  town,  and 
Berry  readily  consented  to  take  his  place  at  the  windlass. 
This  change  was  effected  without  Wilson's  knowledge.  The 
first  he  knew  of  it  was  when  he  called  out,  "Hoist,"  and  look- 
ing up,  saw  Berry  step  to  the  windlass. 

"  Hello,  that  you,  Berry  ?     Where's  Doffmeyer?" 

"Gone  to  town.  I'm  going  to  spell  him  awhile."  Wil- 
son said  no  more.  Bucket  after  bucket  of  rock  slowly  rose 
from  the  shaft,  which  was  now  nearly  forty  feet  deep.  At 
last  the  loose  rock  was  cleared  away,  and  Wilson  thought  he 
could  pick  about  an  hour  before  putting  in  another  blast. 
There  had  been  several  buckets  of  water  to  draw  up.  The 
last  shot  had  shattered  the  rock  badly,  and  for  the  first  time 
the  Bismarck  was  to  encounter  the  serious  difficulty  of  water. 
Berry  wished  to  go  over  to  the  Keokuk  cabin  after  some  to- 
bacco. Wilson  said,  "All  right.  Let  down  the  rope  and  put 
in  the  crank-pin  before  you  go."  This  pin  inserted  in  the 
upright  of  the  windlass  prevented  the  crank  from  turning. 
The  rope  could  then  be  used  as  a  means  of  climbing  out  of 
the  shaft.  Berry  let  dow^n  the  rope  and  walked  away,  leav- 
ing Wilson  forty  feet  in  the  ground. 

The  latter  picked  vigorously  at  the  rock  for  about  twenty 
minutes  and  then  called  "  bucket."  He  sat  down  and  rested 
for  a  few  minutes,  thinking  Berry  was  somewhere  near.     He 


212  AX    IRON    CROWN. 

shouted  "  bucket "  again.  No  response.  Then  he  rattled 
the  rope  which  would  shake  the  windhiss  and  attract  atten- 
tion. To  his  surprise  it  unwound  a  little.  With  an  exclama- 
tion of  impatience  he  pulkd  it  again;  it  unwound  further. 
The  few  minutes'  rest  in  his  perspiring  condition  gave  him  a 
sense  of  chilliness.  .  He  went  to  work  and  picked  vigorously 
for  a  few  minutes. 

Some  distance  above,  perhaps  at  a  height  of  fifteen  feet, 
was  a  shoulder  of  rock  which  projected  into  the  shaft  a  foot 
or  more  at  its  thickest  edge.  It  was  a  huge  irregular  slab 
that  looked  as  if  it  should  come  out,  but  the  seams  in  the  rock 
rendered  it  impossible  to  make  a  smooth,  regular  shaft.  At 
first  they  had  often  tried  this  immense  fragment,  which 
appeared  to  be  wedged  firmly  in  the  unbroken  rock,  to  see  if 
it  was  loose.  It  had  always  appeared  to  be  so  firmly  set  that 
it  was  considered  perfectly  safe.  Under  this  great  wedge 
the  seams  in  the  rock  had  caused  the  shaft  to  encroach  slightly 
on  the  wall  rock,  and  then  it  suddenly  resumed  its  regular 
dimensions,  leaving  a  narrow  ledge  hardly  six  inches  wide. 
By  mounting  on  this  ledge,  some  eight  feet  from  the  bottom, 
Wilson  could  insert  his  pick  under  the  threatening  mass  and 
test  its  strength.  To  his  surprise  lie  found  it  dangerously 
loose,  the  crack  having  opened  at  the  top  of  it  an  inch  or 
more.  He  must  be  hauled  up  out  of  danger  from  its  fiill, 
and  pry  it  off  at  once. 

Again  he  shouted  "  bucket."  No  response.  He  called  at 
the  top  of  his  voice,  but  the  sound  only  rolled  around  the 
shaft  in  a  confusing  way,  that  half  frightened  him,  and 
appeared  to  die  within  the  great  well  in  mocking  echoes.  He 
listened  attentively.  His  ear  could  now  detect  what  he  had 
never  before  noticed.  The  click  of  the  hammer  on  the  drill 
head  in  the  Yankee  Doodle  could  be  plainly  heard.  The  in- 
tervening rock  conveyed  the  sound  in  a  low  monotonous  "  tup, 
tup,  tup,  tup."  Again  he  shouted  "  Berry  "  at  the  top  of  his 
voice.  He  was  startled  at  the  result.  The  echoes  rolled 
around  the  shaft,  and  came  back  to  him  as  plainly  as  he  ever 
heard  words  in  his  life,  "  buried." 

The  sound  had  an  ominous  suggestiveness  that  made  him 
shudder  for  a  moment.  But  his  strong  physical  nature  rallied 
against  anything  resembling  a  presentiment.  It  was  the 
damp  chill  of  the  shaft  which  made  him  shiver.  His  old 
coat  daubed  all  over  with  clay  lay  on  a  rock  in  tlie  corner;  he 
put  it  on.     Here  was  a  predicament.     At  once  he  suspected 


AN    IRON   CROWN.  21 3 

Berry  of  a  ti'ick,  for  he  could  never  get  over  his  suspicions  of 
the  Long  gang.  He  hanished  that  thought  almost  as  soon  as 
formed.  What  could  be  accomplished  by  leaving  a  man  in  a 
shaft  an  hour  or  two?  Nothing.  Night  was  rapidly  ap- 
proaching, when  Norwell  would  return  and  release  him. 

The  chilly  air  grew  heavier  and  damper.  He  set  to 
work  and  picked  vigorously  for  a  few  minutes,  when  he  dis- 
covered that  the  water  had  come  in  so  rapidly,  that  nothing 
more  could  be  done  till  that  was  removed.  He  sat  down 
on  a  piece  of  rock.  A  little  fragment  from  above  fell 
on  his  back.  He  rose  and  looked  intently  at  the  big 
wedge  directly  overhead.  Was  the  crack  a  little  wider 
that  marked  its  upper  edge?  He  strained  his  eyes  intently. 
Another  bit  of  rock  fell.  The  great  mass  was  slowly  forc- 
ing itself  out  of  the  rude,  groove-like  bed,  where  it  had 
rested  for  ages.  It  was  time  to  get  out  of  here.  Again  he 
called, "  Berry."  This  time  the  echo  seemed  to  have  a  mock- 
ing tone  as  it  answered,  "  Buried." 

Then  he  thought  of  the  rope.  Forty  feet  was  a  good 
climb  for  a  man  who  was  unused  to  clinching  ropes.  He  saiti, 
half  aloud:  "  It's  easy  to  tr}'."  The  low  sepulchral  echo  mur- 
mured to  his  excited  fancy,  "  It's  easy  to  die."  The  thought 
was  a  very  uncomfortable  one,  but  he  had  no  notion  of  dying- 
just  yet.  He  took  hold  of  the  rope  and  pulled  it  downward, 
intending  when  it  drew  taut  to  climb  out.  Suddenly  he  re- 
membered that  the  rope  itself  was  not  fastened  to  the  wind- 
lass. It  was  very  long,  and  as  several  coils  were  always 
around  the  drum  there  was  no  need  of  a  secure  fastening. 
Hence  it  had  been  attached  only  by  a  small  rope,  which  he 
remembered  was  not  new.  He  raised  himself  and  threw  all 
his  weight  on  the  rope.  It  did  not  part.  To  be  sure,  he  de- 
termined to  give  it  a  thorough  test.  He  climbed  up  to  his 
own  height  and  dangled  violently.  Still  it  held  firm.  He 
looped  one  foot  into  it  after  mounting  the  little  ledge  above 
and  jumped  off.  It  snapped  and  came  down  in  a  confusing- 
coil  all  around  his  head.  Could  he  climb  out?  There  was  no 
possibility  of  his  climbing  up  those  jagged  wet  rocks. 

The  water  had  now  gathered  to  a  considerable  depth. 
He  had  been  seriously  splashed  when  he  came  down  from  the 
ledge.  He  was  cold,  hungry  and  tired.  He  looked  up.  The 
setting  sun  was  lighting  the  extreme  top  of  a  tall  spruce  with 
a  dull  red  glow.  In  a  few  minutes  twilight  would  begin. 
Norwell  might  now  be  expected    any    minute.     Berry  had 


214 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


evidently  played  him  a  contemptible  trick.  He  dared  not  call 
that  name  again  aloud  for  the  echo,  "buried,"  still  seemed  to 
ring  in  his  ears. 

Wilson  again  climbed  to  the  narrow  ledge.  The  water 
had  now  covered  the  last  of  the  loose  rocks,  and  still  crawled 
steadily,  slowly,  mercilessly  toward  its  prey.  He  must  seek 
refuge  from  its  icy  embrace  on  the  slippery  bench.  Then  he 
jumped  down  again  in  sudden  alarm,  for  the  ledge  was 
directly  under  the  moving  mass  of  rock.  When  he  got 
down  he  found  the  water  nearly  to  the  tops  of  his  high  rubber 
boots.  He  should  freeze  to  death  in  that  icy  bath.  He 
climbed  again  to  the  little  ledge.  It  was  not  over  six  inches 
wide,  and  he  could  not  sit  down  there.  He  could  in  fact, 
only  stand  by  placing  his  feet  carefully  one  before  the  other 
on  the  slimy  stone,  and  bracing  himself  with  one  elbow 
against  the  cold  wet  rock  which  formed  the  other  side  of  the 
triangle.  "Norwell  will  surely  soon  be  here,"  thought  the  im- 
prisoned man.  "  They  are  waiting  supper  for  me  now  and  will 
soon  come  to  call  me." 

Suddenly  an  awful  thought  flashed  across  his  mind.  That 
day  he  had  announced  his  intention  of  going  over  to  O-Be-Joy- 
ful  gulch,  to  see  a  friend  of  his  from  the  East  and  stay  all 
night.  They  might  not  come  to  release  him  till  morning. 
The  thought  gave  him  a  chill  and  he  shivered  in  the  icy  air. 
Then  his  iDlood  went  tingling  to  every  extremity  in  a  hot  flush 
of  frenzy,  at  the  desperate  situation  in  which  treachery  had 
placed  him.  He  was  caged  here  with  a  deliberate  refinement 
ofi  cruelty,  f^ir  worse  than  that  which  leaves  the  mangled 
wild  beast  to  perish  slowly  in  the  trap. 

The  sunlight  faded  from  the  great  spruce  tree  overhead, 
and  the  twinkling  stars  appeared.  It  was  now  very  dark  in 
the  Bismarck  shaft.  It  was  plain  that  Norwell  thought  he 
had  gone  on  his  visit  without  supper.  Below  the  starlight  fell 
dimly  on  the  water,  showing  that  it  rose  inch  by  inch,  a  slow, 
but  sure  and  miserable  death.  No  human  being  could  endure 
its  icy  coldness  till  morning.  It  would  soon  reach  the  ledge, 
soon  pass  the  tops  of  his  rubber  boots — then  would  begin  its 
deliberate,  cruel  attack  on  the  life  stored  in  the  pulsing  cur- 
rents of  the  blood.  He  began  to  reckon  confusedly,  whether 
all  this  might  not  take  sufficient  time  for  them  to  find  him 
still  alive  in  the  morning.  He  could  make  out  nothing  satis- 
factory.    Hope  hates  figures. 

A  good-sized  fragment  of  rock  dropped  from  above,  and 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  315 

startled  him  as  it  splashed  into  the  sullen  pool.  He  listened  with 
ears  strained  by  an  agony  of  apprehension,  for  he  could  no 
longer  see  the  awful  danger  surrounding  him.  The  creaking 
of  the  moving  mass  was  plainly  audible  to  his  excited  imagi- 
nation. It  certainly  must  soon  give  way.  Ah,  this  death, 
unlike  the  crawling  icy  terror  below,  would  be  swift  and  cer- 
tain. The  great  rock  seemed  to  him  like  a  wild  animal 
crouching  to  bound  upon  its  victim.  It  would  crush  him  in  an 
instant,  then  all  would  be  over.  He  almost  wished  it  would 
make  haste  in  its  work.  It  was  better  far  than  the  merciless 
monster  below,  which  was  satisfied  to  crawl  with  slow  delib- 
eration toward  its  dreadful  purpose.  After  all,  the  stone 
might  miss  him  in  its  fall.  He  would  fight  desperately  for 
his  life.  He  shrank  as  close  as  possible  against  the  cold  rock 
of  the  shaft  at  the  adjoining  side.  No,  it  was  useless.  It  must 
either  knock  him  off  or  throw  up  water  enough  to  saturate 
his  clothing. 

Wilson's  thoughts  were  exceedingly  active.  At  once  he 
realized  the  fiendish  cruelty  of  his  enemies,  and  believed  they 
had  entrapped  him  purposely.  He  tried  in  vain  to  devise 
some  means  of  escape.  Then  he  thought  of  the  last  piece  of 
quartz  he  had  taken  out,  and  strangely  enough,  wondered  how 
much  it  would  assay.  He  inwardly  cursed  the  rich  Bismarck 
vein  which  had  brought  him  to  a  lingering,  miserable  death. 
This  roused  him  to  a  sense  of  his  wrongs.  He  felt  sure  those 
men  would  kill  Norwell  too.  Oh,  if  he  could  only  live  to 
warn  his  friend. 

Hark!  What  was  that  sound?  His  heart  leaped  for  joy. 
He  recognized  human  voices.  It  was  the  night  shift  going  to 
work  on  the  Yankee  Doodle.  It  must  be  only  eight  o'clock; 
it  had  seemed  an  age.  He  would  call  to  them.  At  first  he 
had  an  irresistible  impulse  to  call  Berry's  name  and  hear  what 
the  echo  would  say  this  time.  No,  he  would  not  call  the 
despicable  traitor.  Perhaps  some  of  the  men  might  have  a 
spark  of  humanity  remaining  which  would  not  allow  them 
to  see  a  fellow  being  perish  like  a  worm.  He  called  loudly 
for  help.  No  reply.  He  yelled  at  the  top  of  his  voice;  still 
no  reply,  and  all  was  silent  in  the  solemn  woods.  Presently 
he  heard  the  measured  "  tup,  tup,  tup,  tup,"  in  the  Yankee 
Doodle.  The  men  were  all  at  work  drilling  and  could  not 
hear  him. 

Numbed  and  cramped,  Wilson  felt  he  could  not  hope 
to  hold   out   all   night  even   if    the    big  rock   did  not    give 


2l6  AN    IROX    CROWN. 

way.  He  must  change  his  position  and  rest  his  aching  mus- 
cles. Putting  one  hand  out  carefully  against  the  wall  to  get 
a  new  hold,  he  felt,  oh  joy!  a  "  snuff"  sticking  in  the  clav  of 
a  crevice.  A  snuff  is  a  bit  of  candle  used  for  firing  the  fuse 
when  a  blast  is  discharged.  With  much  effort,  owing  to  the 
numbness  of  his  fingers,  he  succeeded  in"  strilcing  a  match 
which  miners  always  carry,  and  lighted  the  poor  little  candle 
scarce  half  an  inch  long.  He  could  at  least  see  his  danger. 
The  sight  was  not  reassuring,  for  the  flickering  rays  of  the 
water-soaked  candle  revealed  the  fact  that  the  water  was  nearly 
to  the  ledge  on  which  he  stood,  and  consequentlv  between 
six  and  eight  feet  deep.  But  suddenly  his  eyes  lighted  on  an 
object  that  caused  his  heart  to  bound  with  hope.  The  water 
had  brought  up  with  it  a  short,  stout  piece  of  timber  about 
ten  feet  long,  which  had  been  used  as  a  skid.  If  he  could 
only  reach  that  he  might  be  able  to  plant  it  firmly  in  the  crev- 
ices so  as  to  slide  off  the  impending  rock  from  a  direct  course. 
But  the  upper  end  of  the  piece  of  timber  was  at  the  opposite 
side  of  the  shaft.  It  was  extremely  hazardous  to  attempt  to 
cross  to  it.  Crossing  involved  turning  round  on  the  slippery 
ledge.  With  infinite  care  he  worked  his  feet  backward  rest- 
ing the  right  hand  against  the  side  wall  which  he  now  faced, 
until  his  body  was  bent  double  and  he  could  no  longer  safely 
balance  himself.  This  was  the  critical  point,  the  letting  go 
with  one  hand  to  place  the  other  on  the  opposite  wall.  Then 
he  slowly  straightened  himself  up  and  balanced  his  body  di- 
rectly under  the  loose  rock,  leaning  with  his  back  flat  against 
the  wall.  He  scarcely  dared  breathe  lest  he  should  lose  his 
balance.  The  danger  of  the  impending  rock  was  forgotten 
in  the  more  imminent  chance  of  tumbling  into  the  icy  water. 
Then  he  worked  his  feet  around  on  the  ledge  till  the  toes 
pointed  in  the  opposite  direction,  next  sliding  his  body  care- 
fully along  the  wall  behind  him  till  his  left  hand  reached  the 
other  wall.  The  difficult  feat  was  performed  and  he  worked 
himself  directly  over  the  end  of  the  coveted  skid,  which  was 
now  worth  more  than  its  weight  in  gold.  Here  a  new  diffi- 
culty arose.  Stoop  as  much  as  he  dared  he  could  not  reach 
the  floating  log,  and  was  in  imminent  danger  of  falling  head 
first  into  the  water.  The  candle  too,  was  expiring.  Suddenly 
he  remembered  he  liad  another  snuff  left  in  his  pocket  when 
he  fired  the  last  blast.  This  could  not  last  very  long,  how- 
ever, and  the  work  must  be  done  quickly.  The  bit  of  candle 
was  placed  in  a  niche  of  the  wall. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  2l^ 

Looking  intently  at  the  stick  below,  he  observed  a  short 
stub  of  a  branch  projecting  two  or  three  inches.  A  sudden 
idea  came  like  an  inspiration.  He  would  make  a  lasso  ot 
his  suspenders  and  hook  them  on  the  little  limb.  With  infi- 
nite pains,  holding  to  the  wall  as  best  he  could,  Wilson  man- 
aged to  remove  his  suspenders  and  fasten  the  front  ends 
together  forming  a  loop,  while  he  held  the  crotch  of  the  hind 
end  in  his  hand.  It  was  very  uncertain  work  fishing  for  the 
little  projecting  stub  in  the  dim  light.  Finally  he  caught  it 
fairly  and  slowly  drew  the  skid  upward  which  was  no  diffi- 
cult matter  so  long  as  it  remained  in  the  water.  With  great 
pains  he  got  it  on  end  directly  under  him.  Then  he  gi'adually 
drew  it  up  till,  with  a  supreme  effort,  which  nearly  cost  him 
his  balance,  he  landed  the  well-seasoned  log  endwise  on  the 
little  bench.  It  was  now  only  a  question  of  time  and  caution. 
He  carefully  slid  one  end  from  him  till  it  rested  firml)^  against 
the  opposite  corner,  beyond  the  possibility  of  slipping.  The 
end  over  his  head  fortunately  was  just  the  length  to  i"est  se- 
curely in  a  deep  niche  which  would  not  let  the  skid  slip  when 
the  rock  fell  on  it. 

One  danger  was  averted.  The  monster  below  remained 
in  all  his  terrors.  The  icy  water  was  now  crawling  over  the 
ledge  as  the  last  snuff  expired.  The  joy  of  rescue  from  im- 
mediate danger  was  so  great,  that  in  the  reaction  following, 
Wilson's  limbs  trembled  till  he  clung  to  the  friendly  beam 
above  him  for  support.  Its  presence  at  once  inspired  him 
with  new  life.  By  its  aid  he  hoped  to  hold  out  till  morning. 
In  his  gratitude  he  hugged  the  precious  log  as  his  dearest, 
best  friend,  and  clung  to  it  as  a  child  clings  to  its  mother. 

Then  there  came  a  great  revulsion.  The  prisoner  was 
thoroughly  exhausted  by  his  superhuman  efforts.  He  leaned 
heavily  on  the  friendly  log  though  he  knew  safety  demanded 
that  he  should  get  under  it.  But  that  was  impossible.  In 
his  numbed  condition  he  could  no  longer  stand  on  the  narrow 
ledge  without  throwing  one  arm  around  the  skid  for  support. 
Human  endurance  could  do  no  more.  After  all,  he  was  still 
facing  death.  Not  only  facing  it,  but  had  it  at  his  back.  Com- 
pared with  such  a  situation,  the  dangers  of  battle  become 
trifling.  There  you  have  a  foe  in  front  of  you  who,  like 
yourself,  is  human,  and  who  may  be  merciful.  The  soldier 
has  an  even  chance  against  his  enemy,  and  has  the  inspiration 
of  companionship  with  the  consciousness  that  if  he  falls  his 
death  may  serve  his  country.     Here  was  a  man  entrapped  in 


2l8  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

a  remorseless  vise  that  was  slowly  closing.  Below  was  a 
creeping-  thing  that  slowly  but  surely  rose  to  fasten  upon  him, 
and  little  by  little  drown  the  fires  of  life.  Above  was  a  creak- 
ing, crunching,brute  force  that  seemed  to  gloat  over  its  vic- 
tim's agony  before  it  sprang  to  crush  him. 

Wilson  now  realized  the  horror  of  his  situation.  There 
was  no  hope.  The  thoughts  of  the  doomed  man  again  grew 
active.  They  flew  hither  and  thither  over  the  events  of  his 
past  life.  Suddenly  they  were  interrupted  by  a  loud  report. 
Boom,  boom,  boom!  Three  heavy  shots  in  the  Yankee 
Doodle  aroused  him.  It  must  be  about  eleven  o'clock,  for 
three  men  could  put  in  three  shots  since  eight.  They  must 
now  be  outside,  and  he  would  call  again.  But  his  voice  was 
husky  and  did  not  appear  to  rise  above  the  damp  vapors  of 
the  shaft.  He  was  not  greatly  disappointed.  He  was  ready 
to  die,  and  no  longer  clung  desperately  to  ho2De  as  he  did 
when  fixing  the  skid  in  place.  He  was  very  numb  and  grew 
drowsy,  then  went  into  a  half-dreamy  condition. 

He  woke  from  this  doze  with  a  start  and  imagined  he 
could  recognize,  Tom  Norwell's  voice.  It  was  pleasant  to 
hear  those  familiar  tones,  even  in  a  dream.  Again  they 
softly  called,  "  Wilson,  Arthur!"  Now  he  was  wide  awake, 
for  he  thought  he  heard  the  sound  of  other  voices.  Was  it 
a    fantasy,  or   were    there  men  at   the   mouth   of  the  shaft? 

With  all  his  remaining  strength  he  called,  "  Hello!  Tom." 
It  was  a  delusion.  There  were  no  voices.  Again  he  called 
"  Norwell."  Immediately  Tom's  voice  in  excited  tones 
called  down  the  shaft,  "  Are  you  there,  Wilson?" 

"  Yes,  for  God's  sake  get  me  out  quick.  I'm  nearly  dead 
with  cold."  In  a  frenzy  of  joy  he  clung  desj^erately  to  the 
log  lest  he  might  yet  fall  into  the  water. 

The  Bismarck  rope  was  in  the  bottom  of  the  shaft,  but  to 
get  one  from  the  Yankee  Doodle  was  the  work  of  but  a  few 
minutes.  vStrong  arms  hoisted  the  exhausted  man  quickly  to 
the  top.  Just  as  he  landed  on  the  j^latform,  the  loose  mass  of 
rock  gave  way  and  dropped  into  the  water  with  a  frightful 
splash.  With  awe-stricken  faces  the  men  looked  at  each 
other,  and  one  said  in  a  low  tone,  "  I  never  knowed  a  closer 
call  since  the  big  cave  in  the  '  Iron  Hat,'  at  Argenta."  But 
Wilson  heard  nothing.  He  had  swooned  in  Norwell's  arms. 
For  three  days  he  lay  in  a  fever,  and  at  times  his  senses  wan- 
dered in  delirium.  Then  he  begged  them  not  to  drown  him. 
But  his  vigorous  constitution  rapidly  rallied  and  before  long 
he  was  ready  to  work  at  the  windlass. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  219 

Berry  disclaimed  all  evil  intent  in  this  strange  affair.  On 
going  to  the  cabin  he  met  one  of  the  Long  brothers,  who 
dispatched  him  to  town  for  powder  and  fuse.  He  thought 
Wilson  could  easily  climb  the  rope  if  he  wished  to  get  out 
before  Doffmeyer  returned.  Hackett  got  supper  at  six  o'clock 
and  waited  anxiously,  but  nobody  came.  Norwell  returned 
at  seven  and  found  him  very  nervous  and  uneasy.  As  Wil- 
son had  not  come  to  supper  they  concluded  he  had  gone  on 
his  contemplated  visit.  When  Doffmever  returned  after  ten 
o'clock  at  night  and  reported  that  he  had  left  Berry  at  the 
windlass  and  Wilson  in  the  shaft,  Tom  censured  him  for  such 
a  very  careless,  if  not  dangerous  proceeding.  Norwell  and 
Hackett  at  once  determined  to  go  up  to  the  shaft,  though  they 
did  not  i-eally  anticipate  that  anything  unusual  had  happened. 
Not  caring  1^  let  the  Long  party  know  of  their  visit,  which 
seemed  a  little  mysterious,  Tom  had  called  softly  into  the 
shaft  several  times,  but  receiving  no  answer  had  started  back 
toward  the  cabin,  when  Wilson's  voice  came  to  him  indis- 
tinctly. Then  he  was  on  the  point  of  starting  homeward 
again  when  Hackett's  sensitive  ear  caught  Wilson's  sec- 
ond cry. 

When  Norwell  learned  all  the  particulars  of  Berry's 
treacher}'^,  he  was  furious.  Buckling  on  a  heavy  six-shooter, 
he  announced  his  determination  of  seeking  Berry  and  de- 
manding an  explanation.  Such  a  course  beyond  doubt,  would 
have  resulted  in  bloodshed.  With  great  difficulty  Hackett 
and  Doffmeyer  dissuaded  him  from  this  course.  When  Wil- 
son recovered,  he  argued  that  no  good  could  come  from  an 
open  quarrel.  They  must  however,  be  constantly  on  their 
guard. 


CHAPTER  XXH. 

DEATH    ON    THE    CLIFF. THE    BISMARCK    TAKEN    BY 

STRATEGY. 

The  narrow  escape  of  Wilson  from  a  frightful  death  had 
a  bad  effect  on  Little  Hackett.  His  nerves  were  completely 
unstrung.  No  especial  form  of  disease  manifested  itself,  but 
he  daily  grew  thinner  and   paler.     Tiie  poor  hunchback  ex- 


220  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

hibited  many  of  the  signs  of  old  age.  He  had  never  had  a 
healthy  development,  and  was  now  rapidly  wearing  out  under 
the  effects  of  this  highly  electrical,  stimulating  climate.  The 
only  physician  in  the  camp  said  he  would  never  be  strong 
anywhere.  Perhaps  after  a  few  months'  acclimation  he 
might  in  a  measure  recover  his  health.  But  an  event  soon 
after  occurred  which  greatly  accelerated  his  decline.  He  and 
young  Ward  had  still  been  prospecting  almost  daily  in  the 
mountains.  Allusion  has  been  made  to  the  magnificent  sce- 
ner}-  around  Ruby  Buttes,  and  a  short  description  of  its  strik- 
ing features  may  be  of  interest. 

The  town  is  situated  in  a  wide  gulch,  at  the  head  of  which 
is  a  basin  of  considerable  extent,  containing  a  lake  of  perhaps 
twenty  acres.  Above  this  basin,  which  is  itself  ten  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea,  the  ground  rises  into  ridges,  which  cul- 
minate in  a  mighty  peak  that  pierces  the  clouds  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  nearly  fifteen  thousand  feet.  At  the  very  head  of  this 
basin  and  at  the  foot  of  the  peak  lies  a  beautiful  little  emer- 
ald lake,  shaped  like  an  enormous  punch  bowl.  This  lake 
empties  its  waters  over  a  cliff  in  a  silveiy  cascade  about  seven- 
ty-five feet  high.  The  lake  and  waterfall  are  covered  with 
an  immense  snowdrift  every  winter,  to  a  depth  at  times,  of 
perhaps  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  In  the  spring  the  water 
cuts  its  way  under  this  snowy  mantle,  and  the  foaming  cata- 
ract gradually  eats  out  in  the  snow  a  beautiful  dome  of  great 
dimensions,  the  interior  of  which  is  worn  into  wave-like  de- 
pressions and  elevations.  This  surface,  covered  with  exquisite 
frost  work  formed  by  the  spray,  shines  like  burnished  silver, 
with  a  beauty  which  is  only  rivaled  by  the  foaming  liquid  sil- 
ver below.  This  snowy  wonder  lasts  all  summer,  tiefying 
even  the  hot  suns  of  Augast. 

From  the  ridge,  the  view  is  one  of  unequaled  grandeur  and 
sublimity.  The  west  side  of  the  basin  is  a  mighty  wedge 
of  rock  with  the  thin  edge  high  in  the  air.  Deep  indenta- 
tions, at  nearly  regular  intervals,  give  it  the  appearance  of  a 
saw,  or  a  gigantic  comb  with  some  of  the  teeth  missing. 
Through  these  notches  shines  the  wondrous  blue  Colorado 
sky.  There  is  something  sublime  and  almost  awful,  in  the 
intense  dark  blue  of  this  sky,  which  seems  like  a  veil  hung 
before  the  portals  of  eternity.  To  the  north,  east  and  south, 
from  the  head  of  this  ridge  may  be  seen  one  confusing  jumble 
of  peaks  and  ridges  to  the  farthest  extent  of  vision,  which 
means  in   this  clear  atmosphere  at  least  one   hundred   miles. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  33  1 

There  are  peaks  of  a  cold  gray  color,  peaks  of  a  warm  red 
that  suggest  "paint,"  peaks  of  yellow,  peaks  green  with  tim- 
ber, peaks  bare  in  naked  majesty,  peaks  whose  different  for- 
mations give  them  a  striped  appearance  like  a  convict's  jacket; 
everywhere  peaks  and  ridges,  resembling  a  great  stony  sea, 
whose  mighty  waves  have  been  suddenly  stilled  by  a  power 
that  even  the  mountains  must  obey.  These  are  no  hillocks, 
like  the  Appalachians.  There  are  several  giants  in  sight, 
whose  altitude  is  nearly  fifteen  thousand  feet.  Their  tops 
stand  far  above  the  timber  line,  naked,  stonii-swept,  and 
desolate.  The  sides  of  most  of  the  mountains  are  very  pre- 
cipitous, and  every  rock,  crevice  or  projection  stands  out  start- 
lingly  distinct  in  the  clear  atmosphere.  It  is  a  common  ob- 
servation that  this  scenery  is  depressing.  It  reminds  man  of 
his  own  littleness. 

Away  off  to  the  south  on  a  distant  ridge,  stands  a  vast 
rock  mass  which  exactly  resembles  a  mediaeval  castle.  One 
could  sit  and  watch  it  almost  expecting  to  see  banners  flung 
from  its  battlements  and  lofty  towers,  while  doughty  knights 
press  on  to  the  siege.  Only  the  panoply  of  mediseval  war- 
fare is  needed  to  carry  us  back  to  the  days  of  the  Crusaders. 

On  the  east  of  this  basin  beyond  a  long  ridge,  is  a  paral- 
lel one  with  a  steeper  slope,  at  the  head  of  which  the  moun- 
tain rises  gradually  in  a  broad  meadow,  free  from  large  rocks. 
This  wide  expanse  looks  like  an  eastern  pasture  field,  so  in- 
viting is  its  smooth  outlines.  The  weary  climber  toils  higher 
and  higher  up  its  sides  in  zig-zag  lines  until  he  reaches  the  top. 
Beware!  The  inviting  smoothness  of  its  sky  line  is  deceit- 
ful. Scarce  ten  feet  before  you  is  a  cliff  that  drops  down 
sheer  five  hundred  feet,  and  three  thousand  more  in  a  dizzy 
slope  of  jagged,  heaping  rocks.  IStand  back,  or  this  unex- 
pected yawning  gulf  may  set  your  brain  in  a  giddy  whirl. 
Away  below,  at  least  five  thousand  feet,  is  a  lovely  little 
valley  inclosing  several  tiny  lakelets,  that  resemble  enor- 
mous green  buttons  on  a  buff  garment.  Out  of  this  vale 
flows  a  streamlet  so  crooked  that  it  knots  itself  up  in  the  grass 
like  a  mighty  serpent.  Along  the  sides  of  the  mountain  wall 
may  be  seen  in  the  accessible  spots  holes  dug  by  the  miners, 
for  everything  in  this  country  is  staked,  except  the  clouds  and 
the  wraith-like  columns  of  misty  rain  and  snow,  that  pass  in 
ghostly  processions  across  the  lofty  peaks.  Busy  miners  are 
boring  this  great  wall  full  of  holes  in  search  of  silver,  and  the 
stones  turned  loose  by  them  go  leaping  down,  down,  down, 


223  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

till   they    become    mere    specks   in    the   distance,  like   fleeing 
rabbits. 

.  Little  Hackett  and  young  Ward  had  for  several  days  been 
prospecting  this  great  ridge  in  search  of  mineral  "float"  that 
might  indicate  the  presence  of  undiscovered  leads.  Contrary 
to  the  advice  of  Hackett,  Ward  resolved  to  climb  over  the 
precipitous  cliff  in  a  spot  not  far  from  where  a  zig-zag  trail, 
itself  dangerous,  passed  over  the  ridge  into  the  basin  to  the 
north.  He  advanced  cautiously  along  the  side  of  the  mountain, 
picking  into  the  crevices  and  carefull}'  examining  the  rock. 
Hackett,  who  sat  on  the  ridge  out  of  sight  resting,  suddenly 
heard  a  cry  of  horror.  He  ran  to  the  edge  of  the  clifT  and 
looking  over  saw  the  body  of  his  unfortunate  companion 
plunging  down  the  steep  declivity,  followed  by  a  shower  of 
bounding  rocks.  A  loose  stone  had  given  way  under  his 
feet.  Doubtless  the  first  fatal  plunge  killed  him  instantly. 
The  body  plunged  and  rolled  downward,  at  times  slacking 
almost  to  a  full  stop  at  some  ledge;  then  it  stai;ted  faster 
tigain,  then  dangled  limp  over  some  obstruction  almost  to  a 
stop,  only  to  pitch  down  the  declivity  with  renewed  speed, 
till  a  mangled  mass,  it  stopped  at  the  bottom,  a  mere  black 
speck.  Hackett  turned  away  sick  at  heart.  He  could  not 
bear  to  look.  The  suddenness  of  his  companion's  dreadful 
fate  for  a  moment  paralyzed  his  faculties.  He  seemed  in- 
capable of  thinking  or  moving.  Then  he  roused  himself  to 
the  necessity  of  reporting  the  accident  in  camp.  Arriving 
there  he  went  at  once  to  Ward's  tent  and  related  the  terrible 
occurrence  to  the  wretched  mother  and  sister.  It  would  serve 
no  purpose  to  describe  the  scene  that  followed,  were  language 
adequate  to  depict  such  great  and  sudden  affliction.  The 
father  was  absent  at  worki  They  brought  home  the  mangled 
body,  and  sympathizing  miners  prepared  it  for  burial.  His 
grave  was  the  first  in  camp.  He  had  come  to  the  country  in 
the  vigor  of  youth  seeking  his  fortune,  only  to  be  laid  at  rest 
in  that  lonely  grave  beneath  the  shade  of  the  dark  forest. 
With  him  were  laid  the  fondest  hopes  of  grief-stricken  par- 
ents who  had  come  to  this  land  of  silver  to  find  only 
sorrow. 

After  this  Little  Hackett  went  prospecting  no  more.  He 
spread  a  blanket  on  the  warm  ground  near  a  patch  of  the 
beautiful  bluebells  where  a  spring  gurgled  down  the  hillside. 
Here  he  reclined  and  read,  or  wrote  letters  to  his  sister  Mary 
and  Aunt    Rhoda.     Norwell  was   very   anxious  about   him. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  223 

Hackett  could  not  help  noticing  this,  and  one  day  when  they 
were  alone,  he  said : 

'•  Mr.  Tom,  I'm  glad  we  came  to  Colorado." 

"Why,  Johnnie?" 

"Oh,  we'll  make  lots  of  money  out  of  the  Bismarck." 
Tom  glanced  at  the  wasted  face  and  preternaturally  bright 
eyes  of  the  boy  to  see  if  he  could  catch  any  indication  that 
the  invalid  was  aware  of  his  real  condition.  But  the  latter 
gave  no  sign. 

"  Hackett,  sometimes  I'm  sorry  you  came  with  us."  * 

"  Am  I  too  much  trouble,  Mr.  Tom?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Tom  hastily,  "  it's  not  that.  You  know  I 
didn't  mean  that."  Then  there  was  an  awkward  pause. 
Each  knew  what  the  other  was  thinking  about.  At  length 
Tom  added,  as  if  it  was  an  afterthought,  "  it's  too  hard  on 
you  in  this  rough  country,  Johnnie." 

"  Never  mind  me,  Mr.  Tom.  It's  the  rest  of  you  boys 
that  are  having  the  hard  work,  while  I  sit  in  the  sun  and  read, 
or  watch  the  ground-squirrels  and  the  butterflies.  I  wonder 
if  butterflies  are  happy  ?  " 

"  I  think  so.  They  have  nothing  to  do  but  enjoy  the 
sunshine." 

"  But  then  the  damp  nights  come  and  chill  them,  and  the 
frost  soon  stops  their  sailing  among  the  flowers.  'Pears  to  me 
they  have  their  share  of  trouble,  too.  Everything  that  we  get 
that  is  worth  having  costs  a  heap  of  trouble."  Then  he 
added  with  sudden  energy,  "  I  shouldn't  want  to  be  a  but- 
terfly if  I  could.  I  want  to  be  doing  something  useful,  but  it 
seems  like  I  can't." 

"When  you  get  used  to  the  mountains  you'll  get  stronger 
and  get  your  breath  easier,"  replied  Tom  uneasily,  hardly 
knowing  how  to  divert  the  boy's  thoughts  from  a  subject 
which  was  to  his  robust  nature  peculiarly  repulsive,  the  old, 
old  story  of  death.  The  little  brook  gurgled  in  its  narrow 
channel  hidden  by  grass  and  rank  weeds;  the  wind  soughed 
and  sighed  in  the  tall  spruces;  a  prowling  "camp  robber" 
jDcrched  on  a  tree  scarce  twenty  feet  away ;  but  neither  of  the 
two  human  beings  alone  on  the  mountain  side  broke  the  silence 
for  a  minute  or  so.  Then  Little  Hackett  spoke  as  if  he  were 
just  beginning  the  conversation: 

"  Mr.  Tom,  I'll  never  get  my  breath  any  easier,  I  guess. 
I've  about  give  up  thinking  I  can  ever  work  my  share  in  the 
Bismarck." 


224  ^^    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Why  Hackett,"  said  Tom  in  surprise,  as  he  caught  a 
ghmpse  of  the  hoy's  secret  trouble,  "you've  woiked  your 
share  all  along.  Cooking  and  errands  were  your  share,  while 
we  worked  on  the  claim." 

"  But  I  can't  do  that  any  more.  How  long  can  a  fellow 
hold  his  share  without  working  before  he  loses  it  ? " 

"  Now,  Hackett,  you  mustn't  think  that  way  about  your 
claim.  We're  working  your  share  and  shall  do  it.  You  take 
things  easy  and  don't  worry  till  you  get  better." 

"  I'll  pay  the  boys  all  out  of  the  ore  when  we  get  if." 

"  Yes,  that's  all  right,  Hackett.  Did  you  hear  from  home 
to-day?"  asked  Tom,  anxious  to  change  the  subject  of  conver- 
sation, and  draw  the  boy's  mind  away  from  the  gloomy  topic 
on  which  it  dwelt. 

"  Yes,  the  Mountain  Queen  boys  brought  a  letter  from 
Mary.  She  sends  you  her  kind  regards.  Mr.  Tom,  I  think 
you've  been  very  good  to  me." 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right.     Let's  not  mention  that." 

"  But  I  will.  You  paid  my  way  out  here.  Then  you  and 
Mr.  Wilson  gave  me  a  share  in  the  Bismarck.  I  guess  it's 
goin'  to  make  us  all  rich.  I'll  not  need  it,  maybe,  but  it  will 
be  so  nice  for  Mary  and  Aunt  Rhoda.  Mary  can  quit  the 
bindery  and  start  a  flower-shop  or  something."  The  boy's 
e3'es  lighted  with  the  anticipation  of  the  bright  future  in  store 
for  his  dear  ones  at  home,  and  a  faint  glow  came  to  his  wasted 
cheeks. 

"  Yes,  and  you'll  cabbage  many  a  buttonhole  bouquet 
from  her,"  said  Tom,  as  he  seized  the  axe  and  lushed  out 
under  pretense  of  getting  stovevvood.  Outside  he  wiped  a 
tear  from  his  eye.  He  could  not  bear  to  keep  up  this  conver- 
sation with  his  helpless  friend,  who  now  clearly  realized  that 
he  must  soon  leave  the  boys  to  prospect  for  himself  in  an  un- 
known land. 

Work  continued  steadily  on  the  Bismarck.  Day  by  day  it 
looked  better.  Daily  miners  came  to  see  the  rich  lead  which 
was  now  the  talk  of  the  camp.  They  all  stopped  to  see  the 
sick  boy,  who  seldom  left  his  sheltered  spot  on  the  blanket  by 
the  cabin.  Hackett  by  his  ramblings  around  the  mountains 
was  known  to  nearly  all  the  miners  in  camp,  and  was  a  gen- 
eral favorite  because  of  his  intelligent  conversation  and  win- 
ning ways. 

The  Long  party  still  insisted  that  the  Bismarck  survey  did 
not  follow  its  lead,  and  that  they  could  relocate  the  lode  out- 


AN    IRON   CROWN.  225 

side  the  claim  limits  if  disposed  to  do  so.  Little  attention  was 
paid  to  this  talk  by  the  owners  of  the  Bismarck  beyond  keep- 
ing a  strict  lookout  for  any  underhanded  schemes  of  the  other 
party.  The  Stengels,  who  now  thought  they  had  a  rich  mine 
beyond  question,  boasted  continually  of  its  value,  which  they 
exaggerated  in  spite  of  the  warnings  of  Norwell  and  Wilson. 
The  Germans  appeared  loyal  to  their  copartners  in  the  Bis- 
marck, but  the  fact  that  they  were  also  partners  with  the  Longs 
in  the  Yankee  Doodle,  was  a  constant  source  of  distrust. 
Wilson  especially,  after  his  experience  in  the  shaft  on  that 
terrible  night,  was  not  inclined  to  trust  any  stranger.  He 
cautioned  Norwell  repeatedly  against  saying  much  about  their 
mine  or  the  late  trouble.  Norwell's  impulsive  wrath  at 
Berry's  supposed  treachery  had  found  free  expression  in  terms 
not  at  all  complimentary  to  the  Long  party.  As  a  conse- 
quence, that  party  cordially  disliked  him,  and  spared  no  effort 
by  ingeniously  distorted  explanations  of  the  whole  trouble  to 
give  Tom's  remarks  the  appearance  of  wilful  malice.  The 
result  was  that  two  widely  different  views  of  the  Bismarck 
troubles  were  held  in  camp. 

It  happened  about  this  time  that  J.  W.  Tooke,  the  «  Bul- 
lion King,"  stopped  in  Ruby  Buttes  for  a  day  or  two.  He 
took  frequent  trijDS  of  the  kind  to  the  various  mining  camps 
of  the  State,  looking  after  his  numerous  interests.  His  visit 
resulted  in  trouble.  It  was  well  known  that  Tooke  was  not 
at  all  scrupulous  concerning  the  means  by  which  he  became 
possessed  of  mines.  The  chief  point  with  him  was  to  get 
them.  As  he  had  ample  means  to  carry  out  any  scheme  he 
undertook,  and  never  abandoned  any  pretension  once  made, 
except  after  the  very  last  resort  had  failed,  he  was  a  danger- 
ous man  to  encounter.  The  Long  party  now  saw  an  oppor- 
tunity. They  had  all  along  claimed  that  they  were  in  Tooke's 
employ.  After  his  departure  they  reported  that  he  had 
looked  over  the  ground  with  them,  decided  that  the  Bismarck 
was  legally  theirs,  and  advised  them  that  they  should  at  once 
take  possession  of  it.  He  would  back  them  to  the  full  extent 
of  his  millions,  and  if  need  be,  a  sheriff's  posse.  Since  it  was 
well  known  that  Tooke  was  a  very  unscrupulous  man  who 
relied  on  the  efficacy  of  money  and  influence  to  accomplish 
any  object  whatever,  this  story  obtained  ready  credence.  Men 
were  slow  to  take  sides  with  the  Bismarck  owners,  because  by 
so  doing  they  might  bring  down  the  wrath  of  the  omnipotent 
"Bullion  King"  on  their  heads.     It  afterward  appeared,  how- 


236  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

ever,  that  Tooke  had  never  seen  the  Longs  or  the  Bismarck 
either.  They  had  hit  upon  this  idea  as  a  part  of  their  own 
ingenious  rascahty. 

The  miner,  Briggs,  liad  thoughtlessly  repeated  his  story 
of  setting  a  stake  on  the  Bismarck  till  it  finally  reached  the 
Long  brothers.  They  found  his  old  stake,  whittled  off  a 
clean  place,  wrote  on  it :  "  Relocated  Aug.  20th,  by  W. 
Briggs,  and  Long  Bros.,"  and  set  it  by  the  Bismarck  shaft. 
Honesty  with  many  honest  people  is  more  of  a  sentiment  than 
a  principle.  Briggs  was  apparently  that  sort  of  honest  fellow. 
The  Longs  and  their  confederates  had  worked  him  up  to  the 
point  of  reasserting  his  claim  while  they  went  on  the  stake  as 
backers.  It  was  not  hard  to  persuade  him  when  a  share  in  a 
rich  mine  was  involved,  especially  since  he  had  been  swindled 
out  of  it  by  the  Stengels.  It  was  claimed  that  Briggs's  ninety 
days'  limit  for  working  the  assessment  had  only  expired,  and 
that  the  mine  could  now  be  relocated. 

When  Norwell,  Wilson  and  Doffmeyer  went  to  work  that 
morning  they  found  the  Long  party  in  possession  of  the  Bis- 
marck, the  owners  of  which  could  not,  without  the  assistance  of 
the  Stengels,  work  a  night  shift  and  keep  continual  possession. 
Itw^as  a  complete  surprise.  The  Bismarck  boys  did  not  even 
have  their  revolvers  along.  Lately  there  had  seemed  to  be 
no  necessity  of  constantly  carrying  these  inconvenient 
weapons.  Norwell  and  Wilson  stood  dumfounded.  The 
junipers  were  cool  and  guarded.  They  gave  no  hints  of  vio- 
lence, but  pointed  to  the  stake  and  urged  the  validity  of  their 
claim.  Wilson  carefully  inquired  full  particulars,  for  he  at 
once  realized  the  futility  of  violent  measures.  Briggs  readily 
explained  all  the  circumstances. 

"But  don't  you  think  you  have  forfeited  all  your  rights  by 
allowing  us  to  work  here  for  several  weeks  without  protest?" 
asked  Wilson. 

"  I  told  you  I  had  staked  it." 

"And  you  told  us  you  resigned  your  claim,"  replied  Tom. 
Dick  Long,  who  was  ringleader  among  the  jumpers,  then 
spoke  up: 

"  Gents,  there  ain't  no  use  argyin'  this  question.  I 
reckon  right's  right  an'  law's  law." 

"  Talk  about  law  in  this  case,"  said  Norwell,  hotly.  "You 
might  as  well  mention  honor  among  thieves." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?"  asked  Dick  Long,  bridling 
at  once. 


AN    IRO^N    CROWN.  227 

"  I  mean  just  this.  You  fellows  have  stolen  this  claim,  or 
tried  to.  But  you  haven't  got  it  yet.  I  have  friends  in  this 
camp,  and  if  friendship  counts  for  anything  I'll  get  you  out 
of  here  if  we  have  to  kill  every  one  of  you." 

"  Try  it.  Mebbe  you'd  like  to  try  it  now,"  retorted  the 
cowardly  ruffian,  who  knew  the  other  party  were  unarmed. 
"You  rich  fellers  needn't  think  you  kin  come  out  here  and 
rob  poor  men  o'  their  rights.  Because  Briggs  is  a  cripple 
you  thought  you  could  take  his  claim.  Yer  not  foolin'  with 
Briggs  now.     He's  got  backin'." 

The  Stengels,  who  had  heard  the  dispute,  now  came  up. 
They  were  in  a  perfect  frenzy  at  the  idea  of  losing  the  Bis- 
marck. If  the  Long  party  had  ousted  only  Norwell,  Wilson 
and  Doffineyer,  the}'  would  have  cared  little.  They  protested 
there  was  no  stake  on  the  claim  when  they  set  theirs.  They 
first  argued,  then  threatened,  and  finally  begged.  Dutch  oaths 
and  mangled  English  flowed  promiscuously,  but  all  to  no 
purpose.  The  Long  party  were  in  possession  and  meant  to 
stay  there.  Finally,  Wilson  said:  "Gentlemen,  there  is  a 
Miners'  Union  here.  I  am  willing  to  submit  my  claim  to  their 
judgment  and  abide  by  the  decision." 

"  And  I'm  much  mistaken  if  they  will  countenance  jump- 
ing," said  Norwell. 

"Jest  so.  Captain,"  said  Dick  Long,  with  a  sneer,  "  an' 
my  opinion  is  you'll  find  yourself  considered  the  meanest 
jumper  in  camp." 

"  I'm  not  asking  your  opinion." 

The  utmost  the  jumpers  would  consent  to  was  the  agree- 
ment to  abide  by  the  decision  of  the  Miners'  Union.  This 
was  no  concession  at  all,  for  the  other  party  could  demand  a 
decision  without  them. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  TRIAL  IN  THE  ELK  MOUNTAIN  SALOON,  WHEREIN  THE 
FORCIBLE  NATURE  OF  WESTERN  ARGUMENTS  IS  ILLUS- 
TRATED.  HACKETt's  SPEECH. 

Norwell  returned  to  the  cabin  m  a  condition  bordering  on 
despair.  He  feared  the  decision  in  advance,  and  had  fore- 
bodings of  failure  to  accompHsh  anything  in  mining.  He 
had  never  known  the  want  of  money  until  hitely.  He  could 
endure  privation  and  toil  so  long  as  the  incentive  of  a  great 
reward  was  held  out.  For  him  pleasure  in  life  was  to  be 
found  chiefly  in  the  good  things  which  money  would  buy. 
To  Wilson  these  things  did  not  seem  of  the  utmost  moment; 
to  Norwell  they  were  everything.  Without  at  least  a  com- 
petence, life  would  be  to  him  a  miserable  delusion.  What 
enjoyment  could  a  man  have  if  he  must  always  be  counting 
the  cost  of  every  little  pleasure.  Bacon,  beans  and  soiled 
brown  overalls  seemed  to  satisfy  Wilson  as  well  as  dainty 
viands  and  broadcloth.  At  least  he  used  them  with  indiffer- 
ence. Norwell,  while  he  never  complained,  accepted  these 
things  with  a  constant  protest  which  was  too  apparent.  He 
had  nourished  the  fond  hope  that  they  should  all  get  rich 
from  the  Bismarck.  Now  that  hope  was  blasted  or  endan- 
gered as  suddenly  as  his  father's  wealth  had  flown.  He  must 
and  would  make  money  by  some  means.  He  needed  it. 
Alice  had  written  that  she  was  copying  lawyers'  briefs  for  a 
living.  Though  she  did  not  complain  he  knew  it  was  hard 
work  for  small  pay.  He  could  not  endure  to  see  his  sister 
who  was  reared  to  every  luxury,  suflfer  privation.  Then  there 
was  Little  Hackctt's  bitter  disappointment  in  his  last  days. 
NorwcU's  impetuous  nature  rebelled  against  the  injustice  that 
pursued  him,  till  he  felt  in  moments  of  desperation  like  resort- 
ing to  violent  measures. 

Wilson,  who  was  equally  indignant,  adopted  a  wiser 
course.  He  urged  the  necessity  of  seeing  their  friends  at  once 
and  explaining  the  whole  difliculty,  so  that  the  miners  could 
have  time  to  think  over  the   subject  and  see  fully  the  extent 

(228) 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  229 

of  the  outrage  attempted.  They  soon  discovered  that  much 
precious  time  had  ah'cady  been  lost,  for  the  Long  party  had 
industriously  circulated  their  version  of  the  trouble  and  were 
sure  of  a  full  attendance  of  their  adherents  at  the  miners' 
meeting.  They  had  spread  far  and  wide  such  damaging  re- 
ports of  the  Bismarck  boys,  and  particularly  Tom  Nor  well,  that 
the  more  distant  miners  who  knew  nothing  of  the  facts  in  the 
case,  considered  the  latter  an  unprincipled  jumper  and  an  un- 
desirable character.  The  Stengels  were  generally  known 
to  be  unreliable,  and  their  zealous  work  in  their  own  behalf 
amounted  to  little. 

The  miners'  meeting  ^was  called  for  the  following  Sunday, 
which  v^^as  about  the  only  day  on  which  this  busy  community 
could  be  got  together.  Such  things  were  managed  with  true 
democratic  simplicity.  Every  miner  could  speak  on  the 
question  and  the  interested  parties  could  not  only  plead  their 
own  case  but  cast  their  votes  also.  The  Union  convened  in 
the  Elk  Moiuitain  saloon,  which  was  the  most  suitable  place 
because  there  was  plenty  of  room.  It  was  furthermore  a 
neutral  ground,  not  under  anybody's  influence,  and  perhaps, 
not  least  important,  was  the  fact  that  liquid  refreshments  were 
at  hand.  These  lubricated  the  wits  of  the  rustler  and  set  his 
judicial  faculties  in  good  running  order.  Texas  Jack  had  ex- 
hibited a  public  spirit  equal  to  the  occasion  by  filling  the  bar 
room  with  seats  made  by  placing  rough  boards  on  beer  kegs. 
He  had  also  at  great  expense,  owing  to  the  dispatch  of  a  fast 
team  for  this  special  purpose,  brought  from  the  railway 
station  of  Dolorosa  several  kegs  of  fresh  beer  and  a  barrel  or 
what  purported  to  be  old  Kentucky  whisky. 

On  this  important  occasion  Jack  combined  an  affable  man- 
ner with  the  dignity  which  befitted  so  important  a  personage. 
With  far  more  respect  for  the  jDeace  and  welfare  of  the  pubHc 
than  men  engaged  in  his  business  usually  show,  Texas  Jack 
had  not  published  the  fact  that  a  special  cargo  of  liquids  had 
arrived.  His  design  was  to  spring  this  important  announce- 
ment on  an  appreciative  and  thirsty  public  as  a  pleasant  sur- 
prise, after  the  labors  of  the  court  were  ended. 

The  meeting  was  duly  called  to  order  by  the  chairman  of 
the  Union,  about  one  hundred  members  being  present.  He 
briefly  stated  that  the  meeting  had  been  called  to  decide  the 
dispute  between  the  rival  claimants  to  the  Bismarck  lode. 
The  Stengels  were  asked  to  give  their  statement  as  to  the 
location.     Herman  Stengfel  rose  and  besfan: 


230  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Gentlemen,  dot  Bismarck  claim  is  mine,  oont  I  can 
brove  it." 

•'  It's  the  facts  in  the  case  that  we  want,  Mr.  Stengel.'* 

"  Well,  last  spring  early  me  an'  Fob  come  ofer  by  King's 
Ranch  mit  shnow  shoes.  Dot  shnow  was  so  deep  by  dot 
trail  a  mule  could  drown  himself  unter  it." 

"We  want  to  know  how  you  staked  the  Bismarck." 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  I  comes  by  dot  shtake  on  te  Bismarck 
right  quick  now.  We  carried  in  ofer  our  packs  blankets, 
oont  flour,  oont  picks,  oont  shofels,  oont  poolfer, — 

*'  But  the  Bismarck  is  what  we  want  to  hear  about,"  in- 
terrupted the  persistent  chairman. 

«  Gott  in  himmel,  I  don't  haf  time  to  git  to  dot  shtake  yet 
till  I  gits  into  camp.  Fob  oond  me  got  here  before  dot 
shnow  was  melted  till  it  was  deeper  als  my  head.  We 
puilt  a  shanty  py  te  basin,  oond  so  help  mine  gott  dere 
wasn't  moie  as  twenty   miners  by  te  whole  Ruby  Buttes." 

«  What  time  was  "that?" 

"Dot  was  by  April  tent.  We  first  builded  a  shanty. 
Dot  took  tree  days.  Den  I  went  pack  to  King's  Ranch  for 
more  flour." 

"  Skip  the  flour.     When  did  you  set  the  Bismarck  stake?" 

"  Wen  I  come  pack  from  King's  Ranch  Fob  oont  me 
went  prospectin'  up  ofer  te  mountain  ver  te  shnow  was 
eferyvere  teep  as  a  house  roof.  So  we  set  dot  Bismarck 
shtake  yoost  right  in  dot  shnow." 

"On  what  date?" 

"  Dot  was  by  der  twentiet  of  Mai." 

*' Did  you  see  any  other  stakes  there?" 

"  So  help  mine  gott  I  didn't." 

Briggs  was  then  called. 

«  When  did  you  set  your  stake  on  the  Bismarck?" 

«  I  set  a  stake  there  May  20,  and  called  the  lead  the  '  Lit- 
tle Annie'." 

"  Did  you  see  any  other  stake  there?" 

"  1  did  not.  There  were  no  tracks  on  the  snow,  and  no 
one  had  been  there.  Two  weeks  later  I  came  along  and 
found  my  stake  thrown  down  the  hill  and  the  Bismarck 
stake  set  ujo." 

"  Did  you  give  ujo  your  claim  then?" 

"  I  did  not  like  to  pull  up  their  stake,  because  it's  a.  peni- 
tentiary offense." 

"  But  you  gave  them  no  notice." 


AN    IRON   CROWN.  23I 

"  I  always  sort  o'  considered  it  mine." 

"  Did  you  do  any  work  before  your  sixty  days  expired  for 
beginning  work?" 

"I  loosened  some  rocks  tlie  same  day,  but  couldn't  do 
much  with  a  pick." 

In  answer  to  a  question  from  Dick  Long,  Bob  Stengel  ad- 
mitted that  there  was  a  mistake  in  Herman's  testimony,  for 
they  had  not  located  the  Bismarck  till  May  28.  But  the 
Germans  stoutly  denied  having  removed  the  Little  Annie 
stake.  Unfortunately,  the  stake,  which  had  been  examined 
by  three  reliable,  disinterested  men,  was  weather-beaten  and 
gave  every  evidence  of  being  genuine.  The  Long  party 
brought  men  to  testify  that  the  digging  constituted  a  legal  be- 
ginning of  work.  The  Bismarck  brought  equally  reliable 
men  to  show  that  it  did  not.  Others  testified  that  Briggs 
had  himself  admitted  that  he  had  abandoned  all  claim  to  the 
Bismarck.  One  fact  was  proved  beyond  dispute.  The 
Stengels  had  fraudulently  removed  Briggs'  stake,  which  was 
in  itself  a  crime,  and  placed  them  in  the  light  of  jumpers. 
Jumping  was  a  dangerous  precedent.  If  countenanced  it 
would  put  honest  men  at  the  mercy  of  roughs  and  despera- 
does. It  could  not  be  tolerated.  This  fact  alone  told  strongly 
against  the  owners  of  the  Bismarck. 

Finally,  after  all  the  interested  parties  and  any  others  who 
wished  to  speak  had  been  heard,  the  chairman  announced  that 
a  ballot  would  be  taken  if  there  were  no  further  remarks. 
Then  George  Mack,  who  was  known  to  be  a  bosom  friend 
of  Wilson's,  said  he  had  a  few  words  to  add.  Mack  was  a 
young  man  with  a  quick  eye  and  a  keen  expression  of  coun- 
tenance. He  was  a  man  w^ho  never  engaged  in  disputes,  and 
was  evidently  one  not  easily  imposed  on,  and  who  could  never 
be  intimidated.  He  was  a  crack  shot  with  the  revolver,  and 
could  hit  a  spot  the  size  of  a  silver  dollar  five  out  of  six 
times  at  thirty  paces.  He  was  also  a  warm  friend  of 
Texas  Jack.       Mack  began: 

"  Mr.  Chairman  and  fellow  miners  of  the  Union,  this  is  no 
common  case  we  have  met  to  try.  It  is  not  a  case  of  out  and 
out  jumping.  Other  considerations  appear.  We  should 
proceed  with  caution.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Stengels 
fraudulently  removed  a  stake  and  put  theirs  instead  of  it. 
That  was  a  contemptible  piece  of  work.  But  Norvvell,  Wil- 
son, DofTmeyer  and  Hackett  had  no  part  in  that.  They 
came  to  camp  and  took  hold  of  the  claim   in   good  faith  and 


232  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

made  it  worth  something.  Before  they  struck  a  good  thing, 
nobody  warned  it.  Briggs  lias  admitted  that  he  had  no 
further  claims.  These  New  Yorkers  are  honest  men.  Who 
are  their  opponents?  Why  didn't  Long  brothers  set  up 
Briggs'  claim  at  first?  Didn't  they  once  lead  a  gang  of 
jumpers  in  an  attack  on  the  Bismarck,  when  one  man  had  an 
arm  broken  by  a  shot?    Did  they  not  set  a  fraudulent  stake?" 

"  That's  a  lie,"  muttered  Dick  Long.  Mack's  face  flushed, 
but  he  controlled  himself  and  went  on: 

"  Dick  Long,  this  is  no  place  for  a  private  quarrel.  We 
are  trying  to  settle  a  dispute  of  public  interest.  Will  you 
and  your  party  stand  up  here  and  swear  that  the  stake  of  "the 
pretended  Tooke  lode  was  genuine?  If  it  was,  why  didn't 
you  stay  by  it  and  die  by  it  like  honest  men?" 

"What  do  you  mean  by  honest  men?"  blustered  Dick. 
"  My  character  is  about  as  good  as  yourn,  I  reckon." 

"  If  you  bring  yourself  into  a  dispute  like  this  your  char- 
acter and  motives  must  weigh  against  the  character  and  mo- 
tives of  the  other  side.  But  the  less  said  about  that  the 
better.      I  knew  you  at  Argenta,  Dick  Long." 

"Well,  what  if  you  did!"  growled  Long,  sullenly.  The 
chairman  now  called  both  gentlemen  to  order,  and  told  Mack 
he  must  confine  his  remarks  more  closely  to  the  case. 

"  I  have  only  a  few  words  more.  That  jumping  case  at 
the  Bismarck  cabin  was  an  outrage.  It  never  should  have 
been  allowed  in  this  camp."  Here  he  was  interrupted  by 
growls  of  disapprobation  from  the  Long  party,  who  for  some 
reason  were  nearly  all  on  one  side  of  the  room  by  themselves, 
facing  the  bar.  "  I'm  aware,"  said  Mack,  deliberately  look- 
ing at  the  other  party, "  that  it  may  be  dangerous  to  express 
such  opinions,  but  I  am  responsible,  and  you  all  know  where 
to  find  me.  Then  there  is  that  strange  affair  in  which  Mr. 
Wilson  nearly  lost  his  life  in  the  shaft.  We  all  know  that 
he  suffered  more  than  death  that  night.  Nobody  may  be  to 
blame,  but  all  I've  got  to  say  is  it  looks  suspicious.  Are 
we  going  to  deprive  square,  honest  men  of  their  rights 
because  others  want  to  take  what  is  not  their  own?  I  think 
not.  I  appeal  to  the  honor  of  this  crowd.  I  hope  we  may 
do  the  right  thing."  Norwell  and  Wilson  had  agreed  that 
Mack  should  jDlead  their  case  so  far  as  anything  beyond  a 
mere  question  of  dates  and  facts  went.  When,  the  speaker 
sat  down  there  was   ajij^arently  nothing  more  to  be  said. 

The  case  was  now  ready  for  this  rather  numerous  popular 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  233 

jury  of  slouchy  miners.  The  chairman  explained  that  all 
who  believed  that  the  Long  party,  who  were  now  in  posses- 
sion of  the  Bismarck,  under  the  title  Little  Annie,  were  en- 
titled to  the  claim,  should  vote  "Yes."  All  who  favored  the 
other  party  should  vote  "  No."  Bits  of  blank  paper  were 
distributed,  and  two  miners  passed  around  with  hats  collect- 
ing the  ballots.  Everybody  was  supposed  to  be  entitled  to 
vote,  for  the  entire  community  was  by  virtue  of  residence  in- 
terested in  mining  affairs. 

Ninety  votes  were  cast,  and  the  result  was  a  tie.  As  the 
chairman  had  already  voted  in  the  capacity  of  a  member,  he 
was  unable  to  cast  the  decisive  vote.  Then  it  was  found 
that  Little  Hackett  had  not  voted.  The  poor  sick  boy  had 
managed  to  walk  down  town  to  attend  the  trial.  He  had 
been  obliged  to  take  frequent  rests  and  lean  heavily  on  Nor- 
well  for  support.  He  was  keenly  interested  in  the  result, 
for  if  it  went  against  his  party  Mary's  fortune  would  melt 
away  and  he  must  die  without  the  comfort  of  knowing  that 
he  had  in  any  way  assisted  the  loved  ones  whom  he  should 
never  see  again.  He  had  sat  intently  listening  to  all  that 
v/as  said  until  the  time  came  for  a  vote.  His  wasted  features 
lighted  with  hope  when  he  heard  Mack's  short  argument, 
which  seemed  to  the  boy  thoroughly  convincing.  He  little 
knew  how  hard  it  is  to  convince  men  who  have  already  made 
up  their  minds  to  perpetrate  or  abet  a  wrong.  Though 
Hackett  had  attained  the  years  of  manhood,  he  was  still  so 
thoroughly  a  child  in  thought  and  habit  that  it  had  not  oc- 
curred to  him  that  he  was  entitled  to  vote. 

Hackett's  vote  would  change  the  result.  Dick  Long 
made  objection  to  his  voting  with  a  sneer  about  boys,  and  he 
"  reckoned  dead  men  would  be  votin'  next."  This  brutal  al- 
lusion was  met  by  such  unqualified  disapproval  that  Long 
quickly  withdrew  his  objection.  Hackett  was  interested  in  a 
claim,  and  was  in  consequence  clearly  entitled  to  vote.  Then 
objection  was  made  to  the  vote  of  Texas  Jack.  "  On  what 
grounds  do  you  object?"  inquired  that  gentleman,  with  a 
dangeious  expression  in  his  quick,  restless  eyes. 

"  Because  ye' re  not  a  miner,  or  interested  in  any  claims," 
answered  Dick  Long.  The  chairman  asked  Jack  to  explain 
whether  this  were  the  case.  "  No,  gentlemen,  I'm  not  a 
miner.  I  don't  own  any  interest  in  this  camp.  I  did  own 
half  on  one  stake,  but  the  cussed  thing  wasn't  worth  any- 
thing, so  I  gave  it  away  to  a  tenderfoot   that  I  had  a  sort  of 


234  ^N    IRON   CROWN. 

grudge  against.  I  see  men  here  voting  though,  who  never 
swung  a  pick  in  their  lives.  They  run  stores  in  town  and 
vote  in  the  Miners'  Union  because  they're  'grub  staking' 
some  fellow  to  tramp  round  the  hills.  I  voted  because  I  was 
one  of  the  first  comers  here  and  I  thought  I  had  a  right  to 
— and  because  I  wanted  a  square  deal."  Nevertheless,  it  was 
the  general  opinion  that  Jack  could  not  vote.  Finally, 
Shorty  rose  to  enlighten  the  meeting  as  to  the  custom  in  such 
cases  in  the  San  Juan  country. 

«  I  tell  yer  what  it  is  boys,  it's  not  so  much  whether  Jack 
kin  vote  or  not,  as  whether  jesticc  is  goin'  to  fall  to  the  ground. 
If  jcstice  falls  to  the  gi'ound  we  might  as  well  close  up  the 
camp  and  quit,  for  no  man's  claim's  goin'  to  be  wuth  a  cuss." 
Short}-  spoke  of  justice  as  if  the  allegorical  female  with  the 
bandage  on  her  eyes  was  wandering  around  the  mountains  in 
imminent  peril  of  stumbling  over  a  good-sized  precipice. 
"  I've  two  claims  in  the  San  Joo-an  that's  worth  a  hundred 
thousand  apiece" — there  was  laughter  and  cries  of,  "  Oh,  give 
us  a  rest,  vShorty,"  with  similar  expressions  of  approval  or  dis- 
approval, according  to  the  mood  of  the  individual.  "  It's  a  fact 
boys,  and  I'd  give 'em  both  up  freely,  an'  not  whine  about  it 
ether,  ruther'n  see  jestice  fall  to  the  ground.  Do  you  know, 
feller  miners,  what  we  did  when  the  Jinkins  gang  tried  to 
jump  the  Flapjack  lode  in  the  San  Joo-an?"  (Cries  of,  "No, 
let's  have  it.")  "  Waal,  we  jest  ordered  'em  to  git  off 'n  that 
claim,  or,  if  they  didn't,  we'd  make  'em.  Damn  me  if  they 
wern't  sassy,  -and  said  we  dassen't  touch  'em.  But  they 
missed  their  guess,  for  we  das.  Twenty-five  of  us  went  up  to 
their  cabin  with  rifles  to  reason  with 'em,  for  we . 'lowed  to 
give  'em  ar.other  chance.  Bill  Jinkins  had  a  Sharpe's  rifle, 
Californy  Jake  had  a  double-bar'led  shot-gun  plumb-full  o' 
buckshot,  an'  the  rest  of  the  outfit  had  nothin'  but  Colt's  re- 
volvers. Waal,  when  a  skunk  gits  under  the  house  you've 
uther  got  to  git  him  out  or  move  the  house.  So  as  we 
couldn't  move  the  Flapjack  mine  we  reckoned  we'd  have  to 
move  the  skimks.  They  peppered  us  lively.  One  man 
dropped  right  in  his  tracks,  ancl  never  as  much  as  hollered,  an' 
two  or  three  were  grazed  with  bullets,  but  that  never  budged 
the  course  of  jestice.  We  jist  took  out  the  hul  outfit  an' 
strung  'em  up  in  a  row  to  the  rafters  of  a  vacant  house.  That 
was  the  slickest  job  ever  I  seed  in  twenty  years'  prospectin', 
Thar  they  hung  as  lovely  as  chickens  in  a  huckster's  shop, 
feet  all  jist  so  far  from  the  ground,  fur  we  took  a  heap  o'  pains 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  235 

with  'em.  The  Jinkins  boys  was  at  the  head  of  the  row  an' 
Cahforny  Jake  at  the  foot.  Everybody  thought  Jake  'ud  do 
better  in  hfe  than  to  wind  up  at  the  foot,  fur  he  was  a49-er  an' 
desarved  better  things.  Some  of  us  thought  he  ought  to  be 
at  the  head  of  the  hne,  but  poor  Jake  was  not  in  kick,  an'  had 
to  faW  in  at  the  foot.  But  he  was  a  trump  for  all  that.  When 
we  was  ready  to  histe  up  the  Jinkins  boys  the  box  that  Bill 
stood  on,  he  was  fust,  broke  down,  an'  the  delay  sort  of  wor- 
ried Bill  till  we  give  him  a  pull  at  a  brandy  flask.  Then  Cali- 
tbrnyjake  spoke  up,  as  he  handed  back  a  plug  o'  tobacker  he 
borryed  o'  me,  an'  says  he:  '  Shorty,  if  you'll  run  over  to  my 
cabin  yon'H  find  a  cut  ofT'n  a  pine  log  that  I  use  for  a  cheer. 
I  reckon  it'll  be  about  the  thing,'  It  was  jist  the  thing,  fur 
we  worked  off  the  hul  six  so  there  want  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
difference  in  the  height  of  their  toes  from  the  ground.  We  let 
'em  hang  all  day  fur  we  hated  dreadful  bad  to  spile  sich  a 
purty  sight.  People  come  fur  miles  to  see  'em,  an'  everybody 
'lowed  it  was  the  neatest  thing  ever  done  in  the  Territory,  and 
purty  nigh  come  up  to  the  old  times  in   Californy. 

"  Now,  the  pint  I'm  gittin'  at  boys,  is  first,  what  oughter 
be  done  with  jumpers?  Second,  what  sort  o'  men  oughter 
vote?  In  the  Flapjack  case  we  had  tenderfeet,  capitalists, 
gamblers,  an'  durn  me,  if  the  editor  didn't  go  'long,  though  I 
reckon  his  motives  wasn't  jest  right,  because  he  wanted  the 
nev^s  fur  his  paper.  But  I  tell  yer  when  a  man  makes  a 
squar  deal,  who  has  any  right  to  ax  his  motives?  Now,  I 
claim  a  gambler  is  jest  as  good  as  the  rest  of  us.  I  mean  as  a 
citizen,  of  course,  and  not  from  a  church  standpint.  As  long 
as  he  does  the  squar  thing  I'm  willin'  to  acknowledge  him  as 
an  ekal."  Here  Shorty  stopped  and  looked  at  Texas  Jack  to 
see  how  the  allusion  was  received.  That  worthy's  face  was 
wreathed  in  smiles.  The  company  was  in  high  good  humor, 
and  willing  to  hear  Shorty  to  the  end,  for  he  had  as  yet  com- 
mitted himself  distinctly  to  neither  party  in  this  great  orator- 
ical effort,  the  greatest  of  his  life.  He  mopped  his  copper-col- 
ored face  on  a  greasy,  red,  flowered,  cotton  handkerchief, 
which  he  wore  only  on  important  occasions,  and  continued, 
amid  cries  of  "  Go  in.  Shorty,"  "  Don't  git  off  your  lead," 
"  That's  rich  truck  you're  sortin'  now,"  etc.,  "  I  hain't  much 
more  truck  to  sort,  boys,  but  it'll  run  way  up  in  the  ihousands. 
Here's  Texas  Jack  is  a  good  citizen  of  this  place.  He's  a 
nateral  gentleman.  He  deals  his  cards  squar,  an'  has  only  four 
aces  in  a  pack.     He  keeps  good  whisky,  too,  though  twenty- 


236  AN   IRON    CROWN. 

five  cents  is  a  leetle  steep  for  a  drink,  'cordin'  to  my  tell.  But 
he  can't  help  that.  He  goes  by  the  market.  He  sets  out  big 
glasses,  none  of  yer  cussed  little  thimble  affairs,  an'  (here 
Shorty  lowered  his  voice  for  his  crowning  argument)  he  looks 
tother  w^ay  when  a  feller's  fillin'  up.  Now,  I  call  that  the 
mark  of  a  nateral  gentleman.  It's  a  shame  to  keep  such  a 
man  from  votin.'  He  ought  ter  be  allowed  to  vote  unani- 
mous." 

Shorty  had  now  squarely  committed  himself.  He  vv^as 
against  the  Long  party,  and  moreover,  by  implication  advo- 
cated hanging  them.  At  once  there  was  a  commotion,  during 
which  Shorty  sat  down. 

After  some  discussion,  the  question  of  Texas  Jack's  right 
to  vote  was  put,  and  by  a  good  majority  was  decided  adverse- 
ly, on  the  ground  that  he  was  clearly  not  a  miner.  If  Hack- 
ett  voted  and  Texas  Jack  did  not,  there  would  still  be  a  tie. 
It  was  noticed  that  the  ringleaders  of  the  Long  party  kept 
their  eyes  fastened  on  the  door  continually.  This  was  now 
explained,  as  was  their  patience  at  Shorty's  rambling  speech. 
One  of  the  Long  party  who  had  two  hours  before  been  sent 
out  hurriedly  to  bring  in  two  absentees,  now  returned  with 
the  men.  Dick  Long  demanded  another  vote,  which  was 
taken.  Two  or  three  weak-kneed  individuals  who  feared  the 
Longs  and  Tooke's  influence,  changed  sides,  and  the  vote 
showed  a  majority  of  five  against  the  Bismarck  party.  When 
the  result  was  announced  by  the  chair,  Dick  Long  jumped  on 
a  seat  and  cried  out  in  triumph,  "  Who's  going  to  take  your 
San  Juan  medicine  now.  Shorty?" 

"'  Dick  Long,  don't  you  crow.  Many  a  rooster  has  crowed 
jist  afore  his  neck  was  wrung." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that,  you  old  blackguard?" 

"  Look  here,  Dick  Long,  you'd  better  keep  a  civil  tongue 
in  your  head.  You  an'  your  party  here  won  this  'ere  case, 
though  I  don't  see  no  sort  of  jestice  in  it.  Jestice  has  fell  to 
the  ground,  'cordin'  to  my  idee.  Her  lead  seems  to  be  sort  o' 
pinchin'  out  in  this  camp,  and  fetchin'  up  in  an  all-fired  mean 
horse  o'  country  rock,  but  some  of  us  boys  is  goin'  to  lay  low 
and  watch  her,  an'  see  if  she  don't  come  in  agin'  a  thousand 
dollars  to  the  ton,  an'  six  feet  wide." 

«  Shorty,  if  your  word  was  worth  a  cent  you'd  git  into 
trouble,"  growled  the  ruffian,  who  still  carried  his  arm  in  a 
sling  from  the  efTects  of  the  ball  received  at  the  attack  on  the 
Bismarck.     "  It's  a  good  thing  for  you  that  nobody  pays  any 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  27*J 

attention  to  yer  lyin'  an'  braggin'."  The  miners  now  quietly 
took  sides,  for  everybody  saw  that  the  Long  party  were  ripe 
for  a  row. 

"  I  reckon  I  don't  always  tell  the  exact  truth  to  a  notch," 
answered  Shorty,  slowly.  "  But  it  ain't  expected  of  a  man 
who's  rustled  all  his  life,  fur  it's  his  way,  an'  he  don't  know 
when  he  is  lyin'.  Sometimes  men  who  wear  a  biled  shirt 
don't  hit  the  bull's-eye  every  shot  when  truth's  consarned. 
But  I  jist  want  to  say  this  one  thing," — here  Shorty  drew  up 
his  heavy-set  frame  a  trifle,  with  a  look  of  determination  that 
was  surprisingly  at  variance  with  his  ordinary  easy  manner, 
— "when  this  camp  wants  Dick  Long  an'  his  gang  to  run  it, 
the  camp'll  notify  'em.  An'  I'll  say  besides  to  Mister  Dick 
Long  an'  the  rest  of  his  jumpers,  that  I've  seed  many  a  dan- 
gerouser  man  buried  with  his  boots  on,  an'  I've  helped  to 
hang  better  men." 

"  You  old  villain,  I  won't  be  abused  any  longer,"  ex- 
claimed Dick  Long,  as  he  drew  a  heavy  "  44."  But  Shorty 
had  not  rustled  twenty  years  in  vain.  His  stubby  old  pistol, 
a  counterpart  of  himself,  appeared  from  his  hip  pocket  in  a 
twinkling,  and  the  muzzle  of  the  ugly  weapon  was  danger- 
ously close  to  Long's  nose.  That  gentlenaan  had  calculated 
on  getting  the  drop,  but  was  not  quick  enough.  A  score  of 
weapons  were  drawn  instantly,  and  the  ominous  click,  click, 
click  of  their  hammers  was  heard  on  every  side.  Texas  Jack, 
seizing  the  revolver  from  the  shelf,  cleared  the  bar  at  a  bound, 
exclaiming: 

"  Gents,  I  guess  a  man  can  take  part  in  a  row  in  his  own 
place,  if  he  can't  vote.  This  thing  has  gone  far  enough." 
Then  addressing  Dick  Long,  he  said  with  an  air  that  ad- 
mitted of  no  doubt  concerning  his  intentions:  "  I'll  kill  the 
first  man  that  shoots.     I'll  have  no  row  here." 

"Let's  clean  out  his  old  place,"  said  some  one  in  the  rear. 
Here  Hackett,  to  the  surprise  of  everybody,  rose  and  rushed 
between  the  two  files  of  scowling,  threatening  men. 

"  Mr.  Jack,  please  don't  shoot."  The  boy  was  fairly 
trembling  with  excitement,  and  for  the  space  of  half  a  minute 
could  not  utter  a  single  word.  He  seemed  totally  oblivious 
to  fear,  in  fact,  unconscious  of  danger.  Then  collecting  his 
thoughts,  he  began  slowly:  "  It's  an  awful  thing  to  take  hu- 
man life.  I  wouldn't  do  it  for  all  the  silver  in  the  world.  I 
was  part  owner  in  the  Bismarck,  but  I  don't  want  it  if  blood 
has  to  be  shed.     And  I  don't  want  it  if  it  isn't  ours  honestly. 


238  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Mr.  Tom,"  he  said,  appealing  to  Norwell,  whom,  in  spite 
of  the  events  of  the  day,  he  evidently  considered  the  most 
important  personage  present,  "don't  have  any  row.  If  the 
claim  isn't  ours  we  don't  want  it.  I  counted  on  it  a  good  deal 
because  it  would  give  Mary  enough  so  she  wouldn't  have  to 
work.  But  that  isn't  to  be.  I  suppose,"  he  continued  sadly, 
"  she  can  work  just  as  she  always  has.  For  my  part,  I'll 
never  need  it,  I'd  like  it  for  Mary's  sake,  but  I  shouldn't 
feel  eas}^  if  it  was  blood  money."  The  leveled  pistols 
dropped  one  by  one,  and  a  dead  silence  prevailed.  "  Mr.  Tom, 
give  it  up.  There  are  plenty  more  claims  somewhere  else. 
There's  no  use  fighting,  and  struggling  and  doing  wrong  for 
a  little  money  that  may  be  we  couldn't  use  right  if  we  had  it. 
The  strong  get  the  money  and  the  weak  have  to  do  without 
it.  But  if  there's  no  reckoning  in  this  world  there  is  in  the 
next,  and  riches  wont  count  there.  Dick  Long,  maybe  your 
side  is  right.  Any  way,  you've  got  the  Bismarck  and  you're 
welcome  to  Mary's  share.  I  won't  say  I  think  you  cheated 
us,  because  I  don't  see  how  forty  or  fifty  men  could  find  it  in 
their  hearts  to  cheat  an  orphan  girl  who  has  had  to  work  for 
her  living.  So  I  guess  your  case  must  be  right,  if  I  don't  see 
it  that  way.  Anyhow  if  it  isn't,  God  will  make  it  all  right 
sometime,  and  Mary  can  afford  to  wait.  Now,  Mr.  Jack, 
please  don't  make  any  fuss." 

There  was  a  dead  silence  in  the  room,  for  Little  Hackett 
spoke  as  if  with  the  voice  of  inspiration.  After  a  brief  pause, 
during  which  the  last  pistol  disapj^eared,  Jack  said  kindly: 

''  No,  Hackett,  there'll  be  no  row  here  to-day." 

The  miners  filed  out,  one  by  one,  expressing  in  low  tones 
their  sympathy  for  Hackett,  and  regretting  the  unfortunate 
turn  affairs  had  taken. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE    DEATH    OF    LITTLE    HACKETT. 

The  decision  in  the  Bismarck  case  was  strictly  legal,  and 
was  acquiesced  in,  though  there  were  many  expressions  of 
doubt  as  to  its  fairness.  Like  many  decisions  of  higher 
courts  it  was  thought   to  represent  law  rather  than  justice. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  239 

There  were  in  particular  many  expressions  of  sympathy  with 
Hackett  and  his  sister.  Had  liis  case  been  fully  understood 
it  doubtless  would  have  changed  the  result.  There  was 
scarcely  a  man  in  camp  who  would  not  do  anything  in  his 
power  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  the  sick  boy,  who  was  now 
unable  to  leave  his  bed  at  the  cabin  by  the  lake.  Norwell 
and  Wilson  wished  to  take  him  down  to  the  town  where  he 
could  be  made  more  comfortable,  but  he  steadily  refused.  He 
loved  the  sublime  scenery  of  the  mountain.  His  bed  was 
placed  so  he  could  get  the  warm  noonday  sun  and  look  out  at 
the  flitting  butterflies,  the  sleepy  camp-robbers  that  hung 
around  the  cabin,  and  the  beautiful  fresh  bluebells  whose  tiny 
cups  dangled  in  profusion  from  graceful  stems.  Beyond  rose 
the  grand  old  peak  far  into  the  mysterious  sky. 

The  party  had  no  regular  work.  Tom  spent  nearly  all 
his  time  at  the  cabin  looking  after  Little  Hackett.  He  tried 
to  be  cheerful  as  he  used  to  be  for  the  sake  of  the  poor  in- 
valid. But  his  nature  had  lost  its  spontaneous  sunshine.  He 
keenly  felt  the  wrong  that  had  deprived  him  of  a  valuable 
property.  His  heart  was  set  on  making  money.  Money  he 
must  have  by  some  means,  or  life  would  prove  a  miserable 
failure.  He  could  never  be  satisfied  with  poverty.  It  was  in 
opposition  to  all  his  notions  of  usefulness  and  enjoyment  in 
life.  It  might  do  for  those  who  were  satisfied  with  it,  but  he 
rebelled  utterly  at  the  thought  of  grubbing  each  day  for  mere 
food  and  clothing.  Better  not  exist  at  all.  With  Hackett's 
consent,  Norwell  wrote  to  Mary  that  her  brother  had  not 
long  to  live.  It  was  sad  news  to  break  to  the  anxious  ones 
at  home,  but  Tom  had  previously  written  Mary  that  the  cli- 
mate did  not  seem  to  agree  with  John,  and  that  his  health  was 
not  at  all  good.  Then  it  occurred  to  him  to  write  to  Miss 
Ingledee,  and  ask  her  for  old  acquaintance  sake  to  be  kind  to 
the  bereaved  ones.  Now,  when  he  thought  of  tne  subject; 
he  wondered  that  he  had  not  written  to  her  sooner.  Their 
acquaintance  was  of  such  long  standing  and  had  been  so  in- 
timate, that  it  seemed  almost  as  natural  to  write  to  her  as  to 
his  sister  Alice.  But  he  had  left  New  York  with  a  feeling 
almost  of  hatred  toward  the  place  and  its  associations.  Now, 
since  his  brief  dream  of  silver  was  over,  his  thoughts  re- 
turned more  pleasantly  to  old  friends  and  old  associations. 

Wilson  and  the  Expert  having  nothing  else  to  do  went 
prospecting  daily.  There  were  still  rumors  that  the  Bismarck 
was  not  surveyed  on  its  lead.     The  change  of  owners  had  not 


240  AN    IRON    CROWN 

succeeded  in  quieting  these  rumors.  There  was  also  another 
claim  on  the  hill,  called  the  "  Silver  Star,"  running  parallel 
with  the  Bismarck.  This  claim  had  recently  "  struck  it  rich," 
and  miners  were  flocking  to  see  its  rich  ore.  An  Eastern 
capitalist  had  offered  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the 
Silver  Star  and  the  Bismarck  together,  though  neither  had 
yet  shipped  any  ore.  A  mill  run  from  each,  had,  however, 
shown  ore  of  a  very  high  grade.  Now,  by  a  strange  coinci- 
dence, the  Silver  Star  was  reported  to  be  off  its  lead  in  a  man- 
ner similar  to  the  Bismarck.  The  owners  of  an  adjoining 
worthless  claim  were  industriously  digging  the  woods  full  of 
ditches  trying  to  discover  the  rich  vein  of  their  neighbors, 
but  they  had  not  succeeded  as  yet. 

One  day  Bob  Stengel  came  to  Norwell  at  the  cabin 
when  only  himself  and  Hackett  were  present,  and  had  a  very 
important  communication  to  make.  In  an  opposite  direction 
from  that  of  the  men  who  were  prospecting,  on  a  narrow  slip 
of  vacant  ground  he  thought  he  had  discovered  the  Silver 
Star  lode.  Meantime  the  owners  of  that  claim  were  about 
to  change  their  survey  to  the  direction  in  which  their  vein 
really  ran.  This  bit  of  information  was  obtained  by  eaves- 
dropping. A  new  stake  set  on  this  vacant  ground  would 
hold  a  large  part  of  their  lead.  Bob  was  enthusiastic.  He 
and  his  brother  would  have  set  a  stake  at  once  had  they  not 
been  afraid  to  do  so  alone. 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  dot's  te  piggest  pisness  in  te  whole  camp. 
I'd  shtake  it  all  minesclf  mit  Herman,  but  mine  gott!  it  takes 
a  toozen  men  to  hold  on  mit  a  claim  in  dis  camp.  You  oont 
Mr.  Wilson  come  in  oont  we  yoost  got  four  mans.  Dot's  bet- 
ter tan  me  oont  Herman."  Norwell  listened  with  interest. 
Here  was  a  chance  to  recover  lost  ground.  If  mining  was  a 
grab  game,  why  not  grab  with  the  others? 

"  Stengel,  are  you  sure  it  is  a  good  thing?  " 

"  Well  I  should  say  so.  Wy  dot  lode  bin  as  wide  as  dis 
cabin,  oont  ruby  silver  in  it  yoost  the  size  like  plums." 

"  And  3'ou  think  it  is  the  Silver  Star?" 

"  Ya!  " 

"  Are  you  sure  the  ground  is  vacant? " 

"  Herman  oont  me  sighted  it  mit  a  shtick," 

"  I'll  go  over  and  look  at  it."  Hackett  had  been  listening 
to  every  word  of  this  conversation  with  keen  interest.  He 
said : 

"  Mr.  Tom,  look  at  it  carefully." 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  34I 

"  Why,  Hackett?" 

"  Because,  if  it's  the  Silver  Star  lode  it  don't  'pear  fair  to 
take  it  just  because  they  made  a  mistake  in  their  survey." 
Norwell  reflected  a  moment  in  silence,  then  said,  though  it 
cost  an  effort : 

"  No,  Stengel,  I'll  not  do  it.  The  Silver  Star  boys  are 
good  fellows.  They've  worked  hard  on  their  claim.  Let 
them  change  their  survey  and  take  what  rightfully  belongs  to 
them." 

Stengel  could  neither  understand  nor  appreciate  such  hon- 
esty in  the  foce  of  sore  temptation.  He  came  to  Norwell 
and  Wilson  because  he  could  rely  upon  them.  A  dozen  men 
could  easily  be  found  to  join  for  the  asking.  He  stood  amazed, 
and  acted  as  if  he  had  not  fully  understood  Tom's  answer. 

"  Oont  you  wasn't  goin'  in  mit  me  oont  Herman?" 

*'  Stengel,  it  isn't  square.     I  can't  do  it." 

"  Not  shquare!"  said  Bob,  in  astonishment.  "  Mine  gott! 
Dot  peats  anything  I  efer  heard  in  my  life.  I  comes  to  you 
yoost  to  gif  you  a  goot  ting  oont  you  kicks  it  right  flat  ofer. 
Tom  Norwell,  you  are  te  piggest  fool  in  camp.  You'll  nefer 
make  a  shtrike,"  saying  which  Mr.  Bob  Stengel  left  the 
cabin  pitying  the  man  who  engaged  in  the  mining  business 
without  first  getting  rid  of  his  conscience,  if  he  chanced  to 
possess  any  such  inconvenient  furniture. 

The  excitement  of  that  scene  in  the  Elk  Mountain  saloon 
had  completely  unnerved  Little  Hackett,  and  he  rapidly  sank 
till  he  was  unable  longer  to  leave  his  bed.  He  lay  by  the 
cabin  door,  and  Tom  Norwell,  who  never  left  him  now,  sat 
on  a  spruce  block  by  the  bedside,  and  read  to  the  dying  boy 
or  talked  about  the  friends  in  New  York.  A  letter  had  been 
received  from  Mary,  in  the  tear-blurred  pages  of  which  she 
resigned  herself  to  the  great  sorrow  which  had  cast  its  shadow 
before,  and  which  was  many  fold  greater  because  the  poor 
sick  boy  must  die  far  away  in  the  mountains  without  the  min- 
istering hands  of  kindred,  and  without  the  tender  care  of 
woman.  Two  or  three  of  the  women  in  camp  had  called 
several  times  to  see  the  invalid,  but  as  it  was  a  long,  tiresome 
walk  from  the  village  up  to  the  cabin  by  the  lake,  anything 
like  regular  attendance  or  watching  must  be  left  to  his  part- 
ners. Hackett  still  refused  to  be  moved  down  to  the  town. 
He  had  become  attached  to  the  scenery,  and  he  could  there 
enjoy  the  bright  sunlight  and  the  beautiful  flowers. 

The  boy's  face  became  so  thin  that  it  was  painful  to  look 
16 


242  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

upon.  His  sunken  eyes  shone  with  brilliancy,  and  a  hectic 
flush  at  times  tinged  the  pallid  countenance.  He  was  literally 
wearing  out  without  any  special  disease,  or  rather  he  was 
burning  out  in  this  stimulating,  electrical  atmosphere.  His 
heart  beat  irregularly,  and  at  times  threatened  to  suflbcate  him 
by  its  throbbing.  Mary  wrote  every  day,  but  owing  to  the 
uncertainty  of  the  mails  in  this  remote  region,  the  letters  some- 
times came  two  or  three  in  one  day,  with  corresponding  inter- 
vals without  any.  Tom  was  glad  to  see  that  the  resigned 
Christian  spirit  of  Mary's  letters  cheered  the  last  moments  of 
the  dying  boy,  who  had  feared  at  first  that  she  might  take  it 
very  hard.  He  had  asked  Tom  to  write,  saying  it  made  little 
difference  where  one  died,  the  only  question  of  moment  was 
how.  Aunt  Rhoda  was  less  resigned,  and  still  insisted  on 
prescribing  heroic  remedies  suited  to  the  robust  frame  of  a  man 
taken  with  a  temporary  attack  of  sickness.  Tom's  reply  was 
always  that  everything  was  being  done  which  medical  skill 
could  accomplish.  This  was  strictly  and  pathetically  true,  for 
the  only  ph^-sician  in  the  place  had  said  from  the  start  that 
nothing  could  be  done  except  to  make  as  easy  as  possible  the 
short  path  to  the  grave. 

Daily  the  sun  swung  above  the  rounded  dome  of  Mount 
Carbon  to  the  east,  and  poured  a  flood  of  light  into  the  valleys 
and  along  the  hillsides  beyond.  Daily,  tiie  little  brook  that 
gurgled  deep  among  the  bluebells  diminished  in  volume  as 
the  dry  season  advanced.  Its  life,  too,  was  fast  nearing  the 
end.  Day  by  day  the  great  snow-field  on  the  big  peak  in  the 
west  grew  less  and  less  till  now  at  this  distance  it  seemed  no 
larger  than  a  garden  spot,  though  really  covering  several 
acres.  Daily  the  canary-colored  butterflies  flitted  in  the  sun 
or  perched  on  the  rosin-scented  foliage.  Every  day  the 
sleepy  camp-robber,  which  had  now  become  Hackett's  con- 
stant companion,  sat  on  a  limb  patiently  waiting  the  chance 
to  steal  a  biscuit  or  forage  in  the  stewed  peaches.  He  never 
uttered  a  note.  He  was  a  fitting  witness  of  the  solemn  scene 
about  to  be  enacted.  The  ubiquitous  little  chipmunks  skurried 
hastily  along  the  dry  logs,or  squattedon  their  hind  legs  to  take 
observations.  No  one  disturbed  them,  and  they,  too,  were 
silent. 

One  day  as  Norwell,  Wilson  and  Doflfmeyer  finished  their 
dinner,  Hackett  spoke  to  Norwell  in  a  feeble  voice: 

"Mr.  Tom " 

"  What  is  it,  Johnnie?" 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  243 

"  Maybe  the  boys  had  better  not  go  prospecting  this  after- 
noon."    Tom  gave  Wilson  a  meaning  look,  and  replied: 

«  They'll  not  go  if  you  wish  it,  Hackett." 

"  It's  lonesome  here,  sometimes.  I'll  not  ask  them  to  stay 
in  often." 

"Hackett,"  said  Wilson,  "  Doffmeyer  and  I  will  stay 
round  the  cabin  to-day,  and  get  some  wood.  We'll  be  in  and 
out  all  day.     We'll  not  go  any  more  if  you  are  lonesome." 

A  smile  lit  up  the  wasted  features  of  the  dying  boy,  who 
felt  he  had  all  the  time  been  a  burden  on  these  men,  and  yet 
had  received  nothing  but  kindness  from  them.  Doffmeyer 
sat  down  by  the  bedside,  and  tried  to  tell  Hackett  how  they 
mined  for  gold  in  the  Black  Hills.  His  stories  had  always 
interested  the  boy,  but  in  the  middle  of  it  he  found  that  Hack- 
ett was  not  listening,  or  even  cognizant  of  his  presence.  He 
rose  and  walked  outside,  with  the  silent,  measured  step  that 
befits  the  house  of  death.  Presently  Hackett  opened  his  eyes 
and  asked: 

"  Mr.  Tom,  do  you  think  Mary  is  at  work  in  the  bindery 
to-day?" 

«  Yes,  I  think  she  is." 

"  She  wouldn't  work  if  she  knew." 

«  The  work  doesn't  make  any  difference,  Hackett,"  said 
Norwell,  in  a  tremulous  tone,  while  he  strove  to  appear  calm. 

"  No,  she's  thinking  of  me,  any  way."  There  was  a  pause, 
in  which  the  only  audible  sound  was  a  faint  gurgling  from  the 
brook  a  few  rods  away.  This  seemed  to  catch  Hackett's  ear, 
and  he  continued :     "  Is  the  snow  all  gone  from   the  peaks, 

yet?" 

"  From  all  but  the  big  peak.     There's  some  there  yet." 

"I'd  like  to  go  up  and  get  some — I'd  like  to  say  I  tasted 
snow  in  August." 

"  The  boys  will  go  and  get  you  some." 

"  No,  it  wouldn't  be  so  nice  if  I  didn't  get  it  myself.'* 
There  was  a  brief  pause,  then  he  went  on  with  an  effort: 
"  Mr.  Tom,  please  look  if  my  water-wheel  is  running  yet  out 
by  that  tall  spruce."  Tom  Norwell  went  outside  to  see  if  the 
wheel  was  going.     He  called  in  Wilson  and  Doffmeyer. 

"  Yes,  it's  still  going,  Johnnie." 

"  I  never  thought  it  would  last  longer  than  I  did,"  he  re- 
plied, with  a  faint  smile.     "  Did  you,  Mr.  Tom?" 

Not  a  word  was  said  in  answer,  as  the  three  strong  men 
stood  with  bowed    heads  and  moistened  eyes.     Suddenly  a 


244  ^'^    IRON    CROWN. 

dull,  heavy  "boom"  rang  out  on  the  hillside,  and  echoing 
among  the  mountains,  came  back  from  the  other  side  of  the 
gulch.  Little  Hackett  tried  to  raise  his  head.  Tom  instantly 
raised  it  till  he  could  look  out  of  the  cabin  door.  The  sick 
boy  feebly  inquired: 

"  Is  that  in  the  Bismarck?"  then  settled  back  on  his  blan- 
ket pillow. 

"  Yes.     They're  working  it  day  and  night." 

"  Mr.  Tom,  don't  you  and  the  boys  worry  about  the  Bis- 
marck. I  was  sorry  for  the  boys — and  for  Mary — I  didn't 
see  why  the  innocent  should  lose  all  they  had.  But  it's  all 
right.  It  came  to  me  since  as  clear  as  day  that  God  hadn't 
intended  us  to  have  the  Bismarck  at  all,  or  else  he  took  it 
away  from  us  because  we  got  too  proud."  There  was  a 
pause  as  the  invalid  rested  from  his  exertion  of  speaking. 
Then  he  went  on:  "  But  He'll  give  you  all  something  bet- 
ter than  the  Bismarck  if  you  only  wait," — and  he  added  in  a 
low,  solemn  voice — "  Mr.  Tom,  don't  worry.  Give  Him 
time  and  He'll  do  the  fair  thing."  Tom  replied  with  as  much 
sincerity  as  he  could  assume: 

"  Why,  I  don't  care  a  straw  about  the  Bismarck,  neither 
do  the  boys." 

"  I  don't.  I  did  at  first,  but  now  it  seems  to  me  somehow 
as  if  I  had  struck  it  rich  at  last.  I  feel  so  happy."  Another 
pause.  Tears  w^ere  now  coursing  down  more  than  one 
bronzed  cheek.  "  Mr.  Tom,  it  was  good  of  you  to  bring  me 
here." 

"  That  is  not  worth  speaking  of." 

"  Yes,  it  is.  I  always  wanted  to  travel.  If  Mary  could 
only  see  these  grand  mountains  I'd  be  still  happier."  Hack- 
ett, nearly  exhausted  by  his  great  efforts,  sank  in  a  brief  slum- 
ber, or  rather  into  a  condition  of  unconsciousness  resembling 
sleep.  Still  the  three  men  stood  motionless  and  silent.  The 
end  was  near  at  hand,  for  a  clammy  sweat  was  gathering  on 
the  pinched  nose  and  colorless  ears.  Finally,  Hackett  roused 
himself  and  tried  to  speak.  Norwell  leaned  over  and  caught 
the  almost  inarticulate  words: 

"  Mr.  Tom,  remember  Mary  and  Aunt  Rhoda.  They'll 
be  lonesome.      Will  you  go  to  see  them  sometimes?" 

"  Yes,  yes,  Hackett,  I  will," 

"  Tell  them  I  was  happy — is  it  getting  dark?" 

"  No,  the  sun  is  just  going  over  the  mountain." 

"  Then  it  will  be  light  on  the  other  side  when  I  get  there — 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  245 

Wilson — DofFmeyer."  They  came  closer  and  leaned  over 
him.  "  Don't  fret  over  the  ]3ismarck.  You  will  strike  it 
sometime.''  The  dying-  boy  sank  back  exhausted,  and  agani 
the  only  sound  was  that  of  the  brook.  Presently  he  roused 
himself  and  said  so  low  that  his  voice   was  scarcely   audible: 

"  Is  the  camjD-robber  still  there  on  the  tree?" 

"  Yes,  he  is  sitting  on  the  old  stump." 

"  Please  don't  let  the  boys  hurt  him." 

«  We'll  be  kind  to  him." 

"  It  was  good  of  him  to  sit  in  the  tree  where  I  could  see 
him.  Now,  I'm  going.  I'm  not  tired  any  more.  Do  you 
see  that  big  mountain,  boys,  right  oflf  there?  There's  a  big 
lead  running  right  up  to  the  top  of  it."  The  eyes  grew 
fixed  and  filmy.  Tom  felt  the  pulse,  which  was  now 
scarcely  perceptible,  and  then  laid  the  wasted  hand  mechani- 
cally on  the  blanket.  "  It's  a  good  lead.  Every  rock 
sparkles  with  pure  gold,"  came  in  a  whisper.  A  look  of 
complete  happiness  settled  over  the  features.  The  breath  no 
longer  came  in  gasps,  but  with  longer  inspirations  and  inter- 
vals which  looked  like  death.  The  men  waited  the  end  in 
silence.      Again  the  lips  parted : 

"I'm  going  to  claim  it — tell  Mary."  The  breathing 
ceased.  The  features  settled  into  a  calm  repose.  The  spii-it 
of  Little  Hackett  had  followed  that  golden  lead  over  the 
range  into  that  mysterious  country  unexplored  by  man, 
whence  no  prospector  ever  returns. 

Norwell  and  Wilson  set  about  performing  the  last  rites  of 
the  dead.  A  letter  was  written  to  Mary,  and  DofFmeyer 
was  to  take  it  to  the  postofiice  and  inform  the  people  of  the 
town.  As  no  coffin  could  be  obtained,  a  carpenter  was  em- 
ployed to  make  one  out  of  spruce  lumber.  Hackett  had 
been  a  general  favorite,  and  it  was  decided  on  all  hands  that 
he  should  have  a  proper  funeral.  As  there  was  no  minister 
nearer  than  twenty  or  thirty  miles,  and  as  he  might  hesitate 
about  such  along  tiresome  journey  over  mountain  roads  to  at- 
tend a  funeral,  it  was  decided  to  dispense  with  his  services. 
Texas  Jack  was  the  best  educated  man  in  the  community,  and 
as  one  miner  expressed  it,  "  could  read  better  nor  any  parson." 
But  from  the  nature  of  his  calling  there  was  a  manifest  im- 
propriety in  his  conducting  the  services,  even  if  he  could  be 
prevailed  upon  to  do  so.  It  was  unanimously  agreed  that, 
while  his  reading  would  do  anywhere,  his  jorayer  wouldn't 
assay  high  enough.      Praying   men  of  any  sort  were  exceed- 


246  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

ingly  scarce,  and  men  who  could  pray  in  public  were  not 
known  to  exist,  though  it  is  impossible  to  tell  what  may  be 
discovered  by  sifting  the  motley  material  of  a  new  mining 
camp.  You  may  discover  a  poet,  whose  thoughts  wander 
among  iambics  while  his  tired  arms  swing  the  sledge  to  the 
monotonous  clink  of  the  drill.  His  partner,  who  keeps  al- 
ternate stroke,  may  have  been  a  cowboy  from  the  great  plains 
of  Texas,  while  the  man  at  the  drill,  spattered  with  mud 
from  head  to  foot,  may  have  once  measured  silks  and  laces 
over  the  counter  for  fine  ladies.  The  genius  in  greasy  brown 
duck  who  presides  at  the  windlass  and  casts  a  feverish,  eager 
eye  on  the  ore  as  it  slowly  rises  into  the  light  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  ruby  or  brittle  silver,  or  sulphurets,  may  have 
been  a  theological  student,  who  once  aspired  to  raise  souls, 
by  a  spiritual  windlass,  from  away  down  at  the  thrce-thou- 
sand-foot  level  of  sin  up  to  the  broad  platform  of  salvation. 
A  committee  waited  on  Texas  Jack  to  consult  about  the 
funeral  and  see  if  he  had  any  suggestions  to  offer.  Secretly 
they  nourished  the  ulterior  motive  of  asking  Jack  to  read  a 
chapter.  If  they  failed  in  the  matter  of  prayer  reading 
would  be  better  than  nothing,  and  express  the  sympathies  of 
the  miners  as  well  as  the  elaborate  and  doubtful  "  funeral 
sermon"  of  older  communities. 

"  You  see.  Jack,"  said  the  chairman,  "  we  oughter  try'n 
get  up  a  boss  funeral  for  Little  Hackett.  I  reckon  he  de- 
serves it  better'n  any  man  who  ever  sot  foot  in  camp." 

"Yes,  we  must  do  the  square  thing  by  Hackett,"  said 
Jack,  reflectively. 

"  But  how  ?  that's  the  pint.  There  hain't  no  preacher  short 
o'  Dolorosa,  an'  they  say  he  works  on  his  own  claim  all  week 
an'  sort  o'  sinks  a  salvation  shaft  among  sinners  on  Sunday. 
I  reckon  it's  hardly  a  fair  shake  to  ask  him  to  come  so  far." 

"  We'll  make  him  up  a  purse  if  that's  all." 

"Yes,  that's  easy  anuff,  but  I've  heerd  he's  desprit  busy, 
an'  then  his  pard  couldn't  do  much  while  he  was  gone.  The 
season's  gittin'  late,  an'  it's  no  fool  of  a  job  sinkin'  a  shaft  in 
the  snow.  I  reckon  we  needn't  try  to  work  that  lead." 
Then  there  was  a  pause,  and  the  speaker  continued,  "Jack, 
I've  got  an  idee."  He  waited  for  Jack's  approval  before  dis- 
closing the  nature  of  his  idee  which,  from  his  manner,  was 
evidently  of  importance. 

"Well?" 

"Do  it  yourself, Jack,"  he  said,  leaning  forward  over  the 
counter  confidentially. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  247 

"  Oh,  h — 1 !"  Jack  laughed  heartily  at  the  idea  of  his  of- 
ficiating as  minister  at  a  funeral.  Then  his  manner  suddenly 
changed  and  he  assumed  a  look  of  dignity  whicli  well  became 
his  handsome  person  and  said:  "See  here,  this  is  no  subject 
for  jesting.       What  do  you  mean  by  it?" 

"Jack,  I  wasn't  jokin',  pon  honor  I  wasn't.  You  know 
you've  the  best  larnin  in  camp." 

"  But  I'm  only  a  saloon  keeper  and  a  gambler.  No,  it 
wouldn't  look  respectful,  and  besides,"  he  added  with  sudden 
energy,  "  d — n  it  I  tell  you  I  can't  pray."  After  this  con- 
vincing argument,  there  was  no  need  to  discuss  longer  that 
part  of  the  programme  which  referred  to  prayer.  But  the 
miner  stuck  to  his  point. 

"As  fur  gamblin'  1  reckon  that  isn't  right,  but  jest  sposin' 
a  man's  bad,  as  I  reckon  we  three  all  be  beyont  a  doubt,  sposin' 
I  say,  a  bad  man  does  a  good  turn,  I  reckon  the  Lord  ain't 
goin'  to  kick  him  fur  it.  We're  in  a  pinch  in  this  camp;  an' 
I  'low  when  a  man's  in  a  pinch  the  Lord'U  figger  the  chances 
he  had  alongside  o'  what  he  did.  See  here,  Jack,  I  'spose, 
considerin',  it's  best  to  cut  the  prayer,  hut  we  thought  you 
could  read  a  sam  anyway,  fur  we  know  you  kin  read  beauti- 
ful."    Jack  stood  silent  for  a  moment. 

"  I'll  do  it  if  it  is  the  wish  of  the  camp." 

"  We  knowed  you  were  open  to  reason.  Jack,"  said  the 
spokesman,  with  a  laugh  that  hardly  comported  with  the 
solemnity  of  his  en-and.  "We  knowed  you  wouldn't  go  back 
on  the  camp  because  it  was  in  a  pinch." 

In  this  cosmopolitan  community, 'where  democratic  prin- 
ciples reigned  supreme,  it  might  be  supposed  that  there  would 
be  little  trouble  in  finding  an  active  Cliristian  who  could  per- 
form, after  a  fashion  at  least,  the  funeral  rites  of  the  dead. 
But  true  Christianity  is  a  flower  of  sweet  perfume  and  modest 
growth.  Professing  Christians  were  few  in  camp,  and  of 
these  few,  none  had  the  confidence  in  themselves  required  to 
come  forward  and  volunteer  their  services  on  this  occasion. 
After  a  few  moments'  reflection  Jack  broke  the  silence: 

"  Boys,  I  know  a  man  who  can  pray.     Old  Jim  Gurley." 

"Jim    Gurley   a  pray  in'  man!  well,  I'll  be ."     The 

miner  stopped  suddenly  and  most  reverently,  for  he  recollected 
that  it  was  almost  sacrilege  to  swear  pending  the  obsequies 
of  the  dead  boy. 

"  Why  Jack,  that  idee  struck  me  as  sudden  as  a  giant  cap 
bustin'.    Ain't  you  mistaken  about  Jim  Gurley?    Why  the  old 


248  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

cuss!"  The  chairman  started.  This  time  he  had  come 
pretty  near  swearing. 

"  No,  I've  heard  him  praying  in  his  tent." 

"  Then  I'll  tell  you  how  we'll  fix  it,  you'll  read  a  sam  an' 
we'll  git  Jim  Gurley  to  offer  prars." 

"Don't  you  think  he  could  read  too?"  said  Jack,  who 
only  consented  to  read  at  all  under  a  strong  sense  of  respect 
to  the  memory  of  Hackett  in  this  case  of  necessity.  But  the 
committee  would  not  excuse  Jack  till  they  get  Gurley.  They 
went  to  Gurley  and  with  much  persuasion  induced  him  to 
consent  to  pray.  He  was  an  illiterate  East  Tennessean,  hut 
a  devout  Christian,  and  ready  to  follow  duty  when  she  beck- 
oned him  to  untried  paths. 

"  I'm  not  much  on  prar,"  he  said,  "  but  I  Mow  I  kin 
scrouge  through  somehow." 

Everything  was  ready  for  the  funeral ;  the  corpse  having 
been  packed  down  the  mountain  on  a  donkey,  was  lying  in 
the  hotel.  The  procession  started  from  there,  and  the  whole 
town  turned  out.  The  rough  miners  filed  by  in  silence  to 
take  a  last  look  at  the  wasted  features  of  the  dead,  the  women 
of  the  place  mingling  with  the. men  around  the  bier.  Be- 
side the  cofiin  was  placed  a  cross  made  of  the  sweet  wild 
flowers  which  Hackett  had  loved  so  well.  Four  stalwart 
miners  who,  by  the  simple  process  of  stripping  off  their 
brown  overalls  and  coats,  had  appeared  in  their  Sunday 
clothes,  acted  as  pall  bearers.  Slowly  and  solemnly  this 
procession  of  rough  men,  two  by  two,  passed  down  the  rocky 
street,  across  the  little  creek,  and  up  the  sloping  point  where 
the  grave  had  been  dug  beside  Ward's,  under  the  shadow  of 
the  great  spruces  that  bordered  the  little  park.  Norwell  and 
Wilson  walked  first  behind  the  cofiin  as  chief  mourners. 
Then  came  Texas  Jack  and  Jim  Gurley.  As  the  cofiin  was 
lowered  into  this  lonely  grave  on  the  mountain  side,  though 
a  community  reverently  paid  its  respects  to  the  dead,  there 
were  no  tears  except  from  Tom  Norwell.  There  were  no  kin- 
dred present,  no  despairing  sobs  of  bereaved  relatives.  The 
respect  of  the  stranger  was  genuine,  but  the  real  mourners 
were  two  lonely  women  in  a  distant  city.  In  a  slow, 
labored  manner  Gurley  read  the  comforting  words  of  the 
twenty-third  Psalm.  His  earnest  prayer  was  short,  rude, 
and  fervent: 

"  Oh,  Lord,  we  have  met  to  hurry  one  who  was  but  yister- 
day  our  brother.     Let  them  that's  left  be  reminded  that  life 


AN    IRON   CROWN.  249 

is  short,  an'  there  are  a  thousand  ways  leadin'  to  sin,  but  only 
one  little  narrer  lead  to  glory.  Lord,  thou  knows  better  than 
all  us  our  sins  an'  shortcomins'.  Thou  reads  us  like  plain 
print,  an'  knows  that  we're  mean  an'  ornery,  an'  not  fit  to  live 
another  minnit  if  jestice  was  done.  But  don't  be  too  hard  on 
us.  Let  the  Spirit  rastle  with  us  a  little  longer,,  and  make  us 
strong  to  resist  Satin,  who  tempts  us  from  bad  to  wuss  day 
an'  night.  Make  us  strong  to  resist  him,  for  he's  scrougin'  us 
inch  by  inch  toward  the  awful  cliff  that  stands  over  the  burnin' 
lake.  Oh,  Lord,  if  it  is  thy  will,  let  Satin  be  confounded  and 
confused.  Let  thy  grace  shine  onto  these  poor  miserable 
worms  that  are  diggin'  the  arth  for  silver  an'  neglectin'  their 
immortal  souls.  'Sposen  we  strike  it  rich  here  an'  have  no 
stake  sot  over  thar.  A  stake  over  thar's  what  we  want, 
where  no  jumper  can  come  anigh,  an'  every  nugget  is  simon 
pure  gold.  Let  the  one  who  has  gone  afore  us  be  an  ex- 
ample of  good  deeds.  May  we  foller  in  his  footsteps.  Oh, 
Lord,  don't  forgit  his  poor  folks  in  their  loss,  an'  don't  forgit 
all  us  poor  miserable  worms  that  have  been  workin'  our  own 
claims,  an'  lettin'  yourn  go  without  even  assessment.  We 
know  we're  mean  and  ornery,  an'  no  'count,  so  we  leave  all 
to  thy  overshadderin'  mercy.  Don't  let  us  go  on  till  our  vein 
pinches  clear  out  in  a  seam  of  sin  at  the  place  where  there's 
weepin'  and  wailin',  but  save  us  before  it  is  forever  too  late, 
an'  thine  be  the  glory." 

Two  young  men,  who  happened  to  be  able  to  sing,  sang 
the  "  Sweet  By-and-By,"  and  the  assemblage  dispersed.  One 
more  person,  who  had  come  to  this  land  of  gold  and  silver, 
seeking  the  riches  of  earth,  had  passed  to  that  resting  place 
where  the  pauper  sleeps  as  sweetly  as  the  millionaire.  The 
funeral  was  over,  the  last  rites  of  respect  had  been  performed 
in  the  best  manner  possible,  the  miners  scattered  to  their 
claims,  and  soon  the  hills  again  resounded  as  before,  with  the 
heavy  reports  of  exploding  dynamite.  Life  is  so  busy  that  it 
has  scarcely  time  for  death,  as  the  ages  crowd  into  eternity. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE    BIG    STRIKE    ON    THE    AMAZON. 

After  the  funeral  no  prospecting  was  done  by  Norwell 
and  Wilson  for  several  days.  They  were  apathetic  and  dis- 
couraged. 

"  It's  no  use  wasting  time  in  this  country,"  said  Norwell 
one  morning.  "  There  are  men  who  understand  the  business 
better  than  we  do.  For  my  part,  I  wouldn't  tramp  these  hills 
ten  years  as  some  have  done,  eating  bacon,  and  sleeping  in 
the  dirt,  for  all  the  gold  and  silver  in  the  vState.  '  Those  who 
want  i-iches  at  that  price  are  welcome  to  them  for  me.  A  man 
without  capital  stands  little  show  except  through  a  great  streak 
of  luck.  If  he  gets  a  good  thing  he  can't  work  it,  and  some 
capitalist  freezes  him  out.  I've  been  a  rich  man  myself,  and 
then  I  never  thought  of  such  things,  but  when  I  see  how  such 
men  as  Ophir  and  Tooke  can  employ  their  millions  to  ruin 
honest  men  regardless  of  law  or  right,  it  makes  my  blood 
boil.     It  is  an  outrage  and  a  disgrace  to  our  country." 

"  But  what  can  one  man  do  to  prevent  it?" 

«  That  is  just  the  trouble.  The  people  as  yet  don't  seem 
to  care  a  straw  about  it.  I'll  try  to  stand  it  if  they  can.  I'll 
tell  you  what  I  mean  to  do.  I  shall  by  some  means  make 
another  fortune." 

«  Do  you  consider  money  everything,  Tom?" 

"  As  money,  I  don't.  No  man  can  use  a  million  profitably 
on  himself  and  family.  But  the  present  generation  has 
chosen  money  as  their  god.  They  hold  the  possession  of 
wealth  above  purity  of  character,  refinement,  and  intellectual 
attainments.  About  the  only  question  asked  before  a  stranger 
is  admitted  into  society  in  most  places  is, '  What  is  he  worth?' 
The  size  of  his  pile  measures  his  importance." 

"  This  condition  of  society  will  improve  with  better  oppor- 
tunities of  culture." 

"  No  doubt  a  future  generation  will  consider  our  standard 
of  desirable  attainment  a  false  one.  But,  Arthur,  I  do  not 
expect  to  associate  with  future  generations.  '  My  lot  is  cast 

(250) 


AN    IRON   CROWN.  25 1 

with  this  one.     I  shall  do  as  they  do,  and  be  on  top  of  the 
heap  or  nowhere." 

Suddenly  they  thought  of  the  big  lead  they  had  staked 
across  the  opposite  mountain.  In  the  excitement  attendant 
on  the  Bismarck  trial  they  had  completely  forgotten  this 
claim.  They  decided  at  once  to  go  and  see  it.  After  a  tramp 
of  three  miles  they  came  to  the  place.  The  immense  vein 
was  distinctly  visible  far  up  the  mountain  side  like  a  great  rib 
of  stone.  They  had  learned  much  about  ores  since  setting 
that  stake  several  weeks  before.  Doffmeyer  carefully  ex- 
amined the  black  heavy  quartz.  After  a  brief  scrutiny  of  the 
rock  they  unanimously  decided  that  it  contained  nothing  but 
iron.  With  intense  disgust  they  trudged  back  to  camp  in 
silence. 

Norwell  now  notified  Doffmeyer  that  their  partnership 
would  cease  at  once,  greatly  to  the  consternation  of  the  Expert, 
who  found  Colorado  life  very  easy,  board  and  lodging  found. 
After  dinner  they  went  to  the  postoffice.  There  Norwell 
found  a  letter,  which  gave  him  a  great  and  most  welcome 
surprise. 

"  Arthur,  I  have  good  news.  A  relative  from  whom  I 
never  expected  a  cent  has  left  Alice  and  me  each  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars." 

"  That's  better  than  an  iron  mine  in  the  mountains,"  said 
Wilson,  laughing. 

"  I  should  say  so.  I'll  soon  be  on  my  legs  again.  I  think 
I  shall  go  East  at  once." 

"I've  something  of  interest,  too,  Tom." 

«  What  is  it?" 

«  A  letter  from  May  Bryce." 

"What,  another!  Now,  don't  deny  it  any  longer, 
Arthur." 

"  I  still  deny.     She  is  going  to  New  York,  too." 

"  The  deuce  you  say!"  exclaimed  Tom  in  surprise. 

"  Yes,  and  she  wants  a  letter  of  introduction  to  your 
sister." 

"  That's  a  good  idea,  Arthur,  and  you  must  write  it  at 
once.  Drop  a  line  to  Alice,  too,  asking  her  to  show  May 
around."  Wilson  thought  the  latter  suggestion  an  agreeable 
one  also,  but  his  more  cautious  nature  seldom  betrayed  his 
feelings.  Tom  proposed  going  over  to  the  Ruby  House  at 
once,  so  that  Wilson  could  write  the  letters  in  time  for  that 
day's  mail.     Wilson  sat  down  in  the  bar-room  of  the   hotel 


252  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

at  the  long  pine  table  and  wrote,  while  Tom  chatted  with  the 
miners  loafing  there.  Still  Wilson  wrote,  till  Tom  grew  im- 
patient. One  of  the  letters  seemed  of  pretty  good  length. 
Tom  remarked  that  it  must  be  rather  extended  for  a  letter  of 
introduction,  but  Wilson,  laughing  in  reply,  merely  assented 
without  any  comment  at  all. 

Tom  decided  to  leave  camp  on  the  second  day  following. 
As  DofFmeyer  was  to  leave  the  cabin,  Wilson  must  find  a 
partner.  lie  went  to  George  Mack,  and  the  latter,  who  had 
been  his  most  intimate  acquaintance  in  camp,  agreed  to  move 
into  the  cabin  in  Norwell's  place.  Together  they  would 
prospect  till  snow  fell. 

The  time  for  departure  came.  Norwell  had  all  his  effects 
rolled  up  in  a  blanket,  which  was  securely  bound  with  rope. 
The  swinging,  dusty  old  stage-coach  drove  up  to  the  Ruby 
House.  That  vehicle  looked  in  shape  not  unlike  the  rounded 
hull  of  a  quaint  old  ship  of  the  Middle  Ages.  It  seemed  to  be 
hung  on  springs  all  over,  and  rounding  a  dangerous  curve  it 
often  lurched  toward  the  precipice  in  a  way  that  made  the 
tenderfoot  cling  to  the  other  side  in  terror.  A  few  friends 
and  others  were  standing  around  to  see  Tom  off.  There  was 
some  handshaking,  and  a  few  hearty,  picturesque  expressions 
such  as,  "Tired  of  rustlin',  eh?"  Then  Tom  Norwell  took 
his  seat  in  the  stage  beside  a  "capitalist,"  the  driver  came  out 
of  the  bar  wiping  his  lips,  mounted  the  box  beside  the  mail 
sack,  put  on  a  pair  of  buckskin  gloves,  gathered  up  his  reins 
carefully,  cracked  his  whip,  and  away  they  went  rattling 
down  the  road  toward  Dolorosa. 

For  a  few  days  things  looked  very  lonely  around  the 
cabin  by  the  lake.  But  Wilson  and  Mack  were  too  busy  to 
get  very  lonesome.  They  sjDcnt  some  days  carefully  looking 
over  the  hill  on  which  the  Bismarck  was  situated.  As  the 
survey  of  that  claim  was  still  supposed  not  to  cover  the  lead, 
they  determined  on  making  a  search  for  the  true  lead  outside 
of  the  Bismarck  ground  on  the  supposition  that  the  latter  was 
only  a  rich  spur.  They  carefully  noted  the  new  survey  of 
the  Silver  Star,  which  was  nearly  due  north  and  south. 
Other  claims  on  the  hill  were  found  to  be  nearly  the  same, 
while  the  Bismarck  ran  some  thirty-five  degrees  west  of 
north.  If  they  could  only  enter  the  Yankee  Doodle,  and 
locate  the  true  direction  of  its  vein,  the  chain  of  evidence  con- 
cerning the  general  direction  of  the  veins  on  that  hill  would 
be  complete.     But  the   Yankee    Doodle   was  partly  owned, 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


253 


and  entirely  controlled,  by  the  Long  gang,  who  would  take 
pleasure  in  shooting  either  Mack  or  Wilson  at  sight  if  they 
were  caught  around  the  shaft.  To  broach  such  a  subject  to 
the  Stengels,  who  still  owned  half  the  Yankee  Doodle,  would 
only  excite  suspicion,  and  furnish  a  pointer  to  the  other  party. 
The  accompanying  diagram  will  explain  the  situation  of  these 
mining  claims,  while  it  illustrates  the  curious  features  of  min- 
ing law  that  several  claims  may  overlap  one  another. 


Map  of  the  Mines. 


Wilson  and  Mack  were  not  over-sensitive  as  to  the  means 
they  should  employ  against  the  notorious  Long  gang.  They 
determined  to  inspect  the  Yankee  Doodle  at  all  hazards.  The 
day  shift  quit  work  on  that  claim  at  six  o'clock,  and  the  night 
shift  began  at  seven.  This  would  give  plenty  of  time  for  a 
man  lowered  into  the  shaft  to  examine  the  vein.  They  de- 
termined to  run  the  risk  of  this  dangerous  attempt.  As  even- 
ing came  on  they  walked  leisurely  down  the  gulch,  around 
the  hill  out  of  sight,  and  approached  the  'Yankee  Doodle 
from  the  opposite  side.  A  dense  growth  of  young  spruce 
trees  sheltered  them  from  view,  while  at  the  short  distance  of 
about  ten  rods  they  could  plainly  hear  the  voices  of  the  men 
as  the  day  shift  quit  work.     As  the  men  passed  up   the  hill 


254  -^N    IRON    CROWN. 

toward  their  cabin,  which  was  over  a  rise  out  of  sight,  Wilson 
and  Mack  stole  from  tree  to  tree,  till  at  last  they  were  posi- 
tive everybody  had  left  the  shaft. 

To  lower  Wilson  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment.  He 
lighted  a  candle,  and,  by  means  of  his  compass  attempted  to 
determine  the  course  of  the  vein.  But  this  was  a  much  harder 
task  than  he  had  anticipated.  The  layers  of  irregular  wall 
rock  were  hard  to  determine  by  the  dim  light  of  a  candle. 
The  pay  streak  seemed  to  dip  and  twist  from  a  straight  course. 
Ten  minutes  elapsed.  They  seemed  an  hour  to  Mack,  who 
grew  impatient,  and  called  softly  down  to  Wilson  to  hurry. 
The  latter  was  even  using  the  pick  in  tlie  bottom  of  the  shaft 
to  trace  the  course  of  the  vein.  Twenty  minutes  gone. 
"  Wilson,  you  must  hurry." 

«  Plenty  of  time.  They'll  be  gone  just  an  hour.  I  think 
I've  got  it.     Due  north  and  south." 

«  Then  for  Heaven's  sake  take  the  rope  till  I  haul  you  out. 
No  telling  what  may  happen." 

"  We're  doing  this  once  for  all,  and  I  want  no  mistakes. 
Just  as  I  thought,  north  and  south,  like  the  Silver  Star." 
"  Hurry  up." 

"  I'll  get  a  few  pieces  of  ore  while  I'm  at  it." 
"Hark!  I  hear  something,"  said  Mack  in  a  whisper.     A 
dry  stick  broke  in  the  woods  as  if  tramped  by  a  heavy  foot. 
Then  the  light  of  a  lantern  shone  on  the  trail. 

"  Wilson,  somebody's  coming  along  the  trail  with  a  lan- 
tern; come  quick." 

«  You  haven't  time  to  wind  me  out.  It's  the  boys  below 
going  to  town.  Dodge  into  the  brush."  Mack  disappeared 
instantly  in  the  bushes,  and  Wilson  blew  out  his  candle. 
Slowly  the  light  advanced  along  the  trail,  darting  round 
streams  of  pale  yellow  through  openings  in  the  shrubbery. 
The  crunching  of  the  heavy  nailed  boots  came  nearer  and 
nearer.  There  was  only  one  man,  and  that  man  was  Dick 
Long.  Mack  was  now  thoroughly  frightened,  for  instead  of 
passing  on  to  the  cabin.  Long  set  his  lantern  on  the  platform 
by  the  windlass  and  sat  down  to  rest.  Mack  anxiously 
watched  him  from  his  place  of  concealment.  If  he  discovered 
Wilson  in  the  shaft  there  was  no  telling  what  might  happen. 
Long  appeared  in  no  hurry  to  go.  He  sat  on  the  edge  of  the 
platform  and  broke  up  some  ore  to  look  at.  A  miner  is  con- 
stantly under  an  impulse  to  break  ore  as  strong  as  that  which 
impels  a  boy  to  look  at  a  new  jackknife  every  few  minutes. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  255 

It  was  nearly  time  for  the  night  shift  to  return.  Long 
evidently  intended  to  wait  till  they  came.  In  desperation 
Mack  rose  from  his  place  of  concealment.  Something  must 
be  done  at  once.  His  plan  was  formed  in  an  instant.  He 
stepped  out  and  listened.  The  shaft  was  as  quiet  as  a  grave 
while  Long  still  sat  hammering  quartz.  Mack  left  the  spruce 
thicket  in  an  opposite  direction,  rapidly  making  a  detour  over 
the  swell  in  the  hillside,  struck  the  trail  some  fifteen  rods 
above,  and  then  beginning  to  whistle,  tramped  carelessly 
down  toward  the  Yankee  Doodle. 

"Who's  there?  "  called  out  Long,  peering  into  the  dark- 
ness of  the  somber  woods. 

"  George  Mack."  Then  approaching  he  said,  "  Been  to 
town  and  thought  I'd  try  the  trail  through  the  park  comin' 
back.  I  don't  believe  though  it's  a  bit  better  than  the  old  trail 
and  a  little  further  for  me." 

"  Tain't  as  good  as  the  old  trail.  It's  desprit  sloppy  in  the 
park  on  account  of  them  springs.  The  old  trail  is  tolerable 
good  since  the  snow's  gone."  Mack  walked  boldly  up  to  the 
shaft  and  remarked,  "  Got  a  little  water  in  your  shaft,  I  see." 
Then  he  dropped  a  bit  of  rock  down  as  if  to  test  the  depth  of 
the  little  puddle  that  glimmered  in  the  starlight,  and  gave  a 
significant  cough. 

"  Not  enough  to  hurt  anything,"  said  Long,  who  w^as  un- 
expectedly civil  as  a  man  can  afford  to  be  who  has  had  every- 
thing his  own  way. 

"  Long,  did  you  ever  see  the  like  of  the  wild  currants  this 
year?"  It  was  well  for  Mack  that  the  darkness  concealed 
the  anxiety  depicted  on  his  face,  as  he  made  this  attempt  to 
turn  the  conversation  in  a  pomological  direction. 

"  They  are  tolerably  plenty." 

"  They  make  a  nice  sauce." 

"  No?     I  reckoned  they'd  have  a  wild  taste." 

"  Stew  them  in  brov/n  sugar  and  they're  just  the  thing  for 
biliousness." 

"  I'll  try  'em.  I'm  sick  an'  tired  'o  bacon  an'  canned 
truck." 

"Come  down  the  trail  here  and  I'll  show  you  a  nice  patch." 
Long  hesitated. 

"  It's  only  a  step,  just  beyond  that  big  tree  yonder."  Long 
picked  up  the  lantern  and  led  the  wa}'^  toward  the  spot  in- 
dicated. There  on  a  mound  caused  by  the  upturning  of  a  big 
tree,  grew  a  cluster  of  currant  bushes,  from  the  drooping 


256  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

boughs  of  which  hung  the  large  black  fruit  in  tempting 
masses.  The  warm  soil  thus  accidentally  raised  and  exposed 
to  the  sun  had  made  the  berries  unusually  large  and  fine. 

"  Well,  them's  the  nicest  things  I've  seen  in  this  blasted 
country,"  said  Long.  "  But  then  I  'spose  you  ought  to  have 
'em,  seein'  as  you  found  'em."  Mack  had  never  felt  so  gener- 
ous. He  had  intended  to  pick  the  berries  himself  next  Sun- 
day.    But  he  replied  hastily: 

"No,  you  take  them  Long.  You  haven't  had  any; 
there  are  more  over  by  our  cabin."  Then  he  explained  how 
much  sugar  they  would  need,  how  long  they  must  be  cooked, 
that  no  water  need  be  put  in,  that  they  must  be  stirred  con- 
stantly, £ind  so  on,  till  he  could  think  of  nothing  at  all  further 
to  say  on  the  subject  of  wild-currant  sauce.  Then  he  seized 
a  branch  and  exposing  it  to  the  light  of  the  lantern,  exclaimed : 

"  Aren't  they  mighty  nice,  though?  " 

"  I  reckon  they're  not  to  be  sneezed  at." 

"  They  are  better  than  any  medicine  for  the  livei'." 

"  Guess  I'll  go  for  'em  Sunday."  Then  Long  remarked 
that  the  boys  were  coming  down  to  go  on  the  night  shift,  and 
he  must  go  up  and  show  them  where  another  blast  was 
needed  on  the  side.  Mack  walked  down  Ihe  trail  into  the 
darkness  with  throbbing,  anxious  heart.  Pretty  soon  he 
heard  footsteeps.     He  waited  and  Wilson  joined  him. 

"  That  was  a  close  call,  wasn't  it?" 

"  I  told  you  you  had  better  hurry.  Where  would  you 
be  if  it  had   not  been  for  that  pole  ladder?" 

"  In  the  hole  I  guess." 

"  Didn't  I  fool  Long  nicely  though?  " 

"  I'll  never  take  such  another  risk.  When  I  thought  of 
what  happened  in  the  Bismarck  that  night,  my  knees  trembled 
so  I  could  hardly  stand.  I  wouldn't  go  into  that  hole  again 
for  a  million  dollars.  But  we've  got  a  pointer,  and  no 
mistake." 

Next  morning,  under  the  influence  of  that  pointer,  Wilson 
and  Mack  began  cutting  a  ditch  across  the  apex  of  the  nar- 
row triangle  formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Bismarck  and  the 
Yankee  Doodle  side  lines.  The  surface  here  was  "  wash," 
that  is  the  debris  from  the  cliff  above  had  been  accumulating 
there  for  ages,  and  no  rock  formation  was  exposed.  They 
cut  a  long  narrow  trench  across  the  hillside  parallel  with  the 
mountain,  two  feet  wide  and  thirty  feet  long.  They  dug  this 
as  deep  as  they  could  conveniently  work  in  it.     Still  no  solid 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  257 

rock  appeared.  Miners  passed  and  laughed  at  them.  Many 
jokes  were  cracked  at  the  expense  of  this  "  tunnel  above 
ground."  Then  they  extended  the  length  at  the  ends  till  the 
ditch  was  sixty  feet  long.     Still  no  rock  appeared. 

The  Long  party  had  many  questions  to  ask  about  what 
the  two  men  expected  to  cut  there,  but  they  received  no  satis- 
factory replies.  Wilson  and  Mack  now  widened  the  ditch 
and  increased  the  depth  along  its  whole  length  to  six  feet. 
Still  no  rock  appeared.  The  soil  was  full  of  hard  boulders 
which  were  packed  in  the  tough  clay  as  if  they  had  grown 
there.  It  was  very  toilsome  labor,  and  the  buoyant  hope  with 
which  they  began  gradually  gave  place  to  that  steady  resolu- 
tion which  works  only  through  a  sense  of  duty,  or  to  reach  a 
prescribed  limit  set  at  the  beginning.  They  had  been  at 
work  a  week  and  had  nothing  to  show  for  their  pains,  but  a 
big  ugly  ditch  v\rhich  everybody  laughed  at.  The  amount  of 
money  which  has  been  absolutely  thrown  away  in  the  United 
States  in  similar  prospecting  would,  if  accurately  summed  up, 
amount  to  many  millions.  They  considered  whether  it  were 
not  best  to  stop  work.  Then  the  conclusion  was  reached  that 
prospecting  anywhere  else  was  equaljy  uncertain.  As  well 
give  this  a  thorough  trial. 

They  went  to  work  again,  and  in  ten  days  had  dug  the 
ditch  so  deep  that  they  could  no  longer  throw  the  dirt  out. 
They  increased  its  length  to  eighty  feet.  Then,  in  despair, 
they  decided  to  quit.  After  resting  for  a  while,  Wilson 
concluded  he  would  go  a  little  deeper  in  the  center  about 
where  the  vein  ought  to  be,  according  to  their  figuring.  He 
dug  vigorously  into  the  tough  clay,  until  his  pick  finally  struck 
a  very  hard  rock ;  but  that  signified  nothing,  they  had  struck 
xnany  large  boulders  that  had  excited  a  momentary  hope.  He 
dug  further,  but  could  not  reach  the  edge  of  it.  It  was  now 
too  late  to  throw  away  the  loose  dirt  that  night;  with  a  faint 
hope  they  went  home,  very  tired,  and  cooked  their  supper  by 
firelight.  Then  they  sat  around  a  blazing  camp  fire  of  dry 
spruce,  in  the  chill  night  air,  and  discussed  plans  for  the  future. 
If  this  prospect  faiied  they  must  quit;  they  were  nearly  out 
of  both  money  and  provisions,  while  winter  was  rapidly  ap- 
proaching. October  would  drive  out  from  the  mountains  all 
who  did  not  have  the  necessary  buildings  and  supplies  to  en- 
dure a  snow  blockade. 

Next  morning  early  they  resumed  work.  The  rock 
proved  to  be  quartz,  but  that  signified  little,  for  there  were 


258  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

enormous  masses  of  detached  quartz  all  over  the  mountain. 
But  the  rock  steadily  widened.  It  began  to  look  like  a  lead. 
By  ten  o'clock  they  established  the  fact  that  it  was  an  im- 
mense vein,  ten  feet  wide,  with  a  pay  streak  of  beautiful 
quartz  four  feet  thick.  They  could  scarcely  believe  their  good 
fortune,  though  they  had,  at  first,  almost  expected  it.  With 
fingers  that  trembled  with  eagerness,  Wilson  whittled  a 
smooth  space  on  a  stake,  and  the  "Amazon"  lode  was  located, 
running  due  north  and  south,  the  usual  fifteen  hundred  feet  in 
length  and  three  hundred  in  width.  The  names  of  Texas 
Jack,  Shorty,  and  two  other  influential  miners  were  placed  on 
the  stake  for  a  twentieth  each.  The  ground  had  been  vacant, 
the  title  was  unquestioned,  and  this  large  number  of  owners 
was  a  warning  that  no  trifling  with  the  claim  would  be 
allowed. 

The  name  Amazon  proved  to  be  very  appropriate,  for,  as 
work  progressed,  it  was  found  that  the  lode  exceeded  in  body 
and  richness  even  the  great  Ruby  Queen.  There  was  the 
usual  sensation  in  camp,  and  the  usual  flocking  of  miners  to 
see  the  rich  strike.  Pay  ore  was  found  almost  from  the  very 
first.  Within  one  mouth  a  dozen  men  were  at  work  on  the 
mine,  while  a  burro  train  crept  up  and  down  the  trail  packing 
the  ore  in  sacks  to  the  smelter.  Wilson  and  Mack  had  been 
successful  beyond  their  most  extravagant  hopes.  They  were 
worth  a  hundred  thousand  each,  with  their  property  appreci- 
atmg  in  value  every  day.  They  were  men  of  importance. 
They  were  consulted,  and  asked  to  lead  in  matters  of  public 
interest.  Their  names  frequently  appeared  in  the  local  paper, 
"  The  Elk  Mountain  Boomer,"  and  uniformly  had  Esquire 
appended  thereto.  Everything  that  the  camp  had  in  the  way 
of  honors  was  theirs  merely  for  the  asking.  Such  is  the 
power  of  the  almighty  dollar. 

Wilson  had  written  full  particulars  to  Norwell  as  soon  as 
the  discoveiy  was  assured  beyond  a  doubt.  He  also  indited  a 
careful  letter  to  Alice  Norwell,  who  had  replied  to  his  con- 
cerning May  Bryce.  This  new  strike  had  opened  up  new 
probabilities.  In  a  year  or  two  he  could  sell  out,  and  retire  on 
an  ample  fortune.  There  was  only  one  regret,  and  that  was, 
that  Tom  Norwell  had  not  staid  long  enough  to  profit  by  this 
wonderful  stroke  of  fortune. 

Garmand  had  really  come  to  the  country  looking  for  good 
chances  to  invest  in  mining  property.  Among  civilized  men 
it  would  not  be  possible  to  find  two  beings  farther  apart,  from 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  359 

every  conceivable  standpoint,  than  the  Coclvney  and  the  Rust- 
ler. The  British  aristocracy  have,  by  a  thousand  years  of  cul- 
ture, and  the  persistent  assumption  to  their  caste  of  every  thinj^ 
that  is  easy,  honorable  and  luci"ative,  come  to  believe  that  the 
human  race  is  divided  naturally  into  two  very  distinct  classes, 
themselves  and  the  balance  of  mankind.  At  times,  for  political 
or  other  caste  reasons,  they  admit  an  equality  between  them- 
selves and  the  other  nobility  of  Europe.  But  between  the  aris- 
tocracy and  the  people  who  are  obliged  to  work  for  their  living, 
there  never  was,  and  never  can  be  anything  in  common,  save 
the  ever  present  fact,  that  the  latter  must  contribute  a  portion  of 
their  scanty  earnings  to  support  the  former.  This  forced  con- 
tribution has  become  so  much  a  part  ot  the  system,  and  is 
often  levied  under  such  specious  guises,  that,  perhaps,  it  is 
never  suspected  by  thousands  of  honorable,  high-minded  men 
who  profit  by  it.  No  doubt,  many  who  have  considered  the 
subject,  reasoning  from  the  standpoint  of  a  system  sanctioned 
by  centuries  of  usage,  think  it  right.  Self-interest  perpetuates 
great  abuses.  Although  it  is  claimed  that  there  is  not  ni  the 
world  a  similar  number  of  people  constituting  one  social 
whole  superior  in  culture,  refinement,  and  hospitality  to  the 
aristocracy  of  Great  Britain,  yet  this  self-constituted  caste  is 
in  continual  perpetration  of  a  wrong.  Perhaps  an  unconscious 
wrong  but  yet  a  bitter,  inexorable  wrong  none  the  less,  a 
wrong  which  allows  the  British  laborer  no  part  in  British  soil. 
No  one  denies  that  to  remedy  this  wrong  would  cause  great 
hardship  to  thousands;  it  would  do  justice  to  millions.  The 
Inca  of  Peru  was  not  only  a  man,  but,  at  the  same  time, 
God  himself.  To  the  American  it  is  utterly  incomprehensible 
how  such  false  and  debasing  ideas  of  government  could  ever 
have  originated.  But  the  nobility  of  Europe  understands 
fully  the  advantage  of  these  wicked  notions  of  the  constitu- 
tion of  society,  and  so,  exacts  privileges  contrary  to  nature, 
and  such  as  God  never  intended  any  man  to  possess  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  his  fellow. 

Garmand,  as  the  representative,  in  a  measure,  for  want  of 
a  better,  of  everything  anti-plebeian,  was  the  very  antipodes  of 
the  social  fabric  around  him.  He  looked  at  the  swarthy, 
shaggy  miners  very  much  as  he  would  look  at  the  animals  in 
a  cage,  except  that  he  never  poked  them  with  his  cane. 
Really,  they  were  deuced  interesting  creachaws,  and  proper 
subjects  of  study,  you  know.  They  were  so  very  picturesque, 
though  he  thought  soap  might  improve  them.     They  were 


26o  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

very  much  more  unique  than  the  peasantry  of  New  York  or 
Chicago.  He  sometimes  entertained  a  vague  suspicion  that  it 
might  be  possible  that  these  queer  beings  scarcely  recognized 
the  fact  that  he  belonged  to  a  superior  class.  But  'he  wisely 
kept  such  suspicions  to  himself.  Then  it  seemed  strange  never 
to  give  them  shillings  when  they  kindly  showed  him  around 
the  mines,  and  explained  the  various  kinds  of  ore.  He  had 
tried  this  once  on  a  miner,  but  a  sudden  ejaculation  of  a  very 
lurid  nature,  together  with  a  dangerous  look,  and  some  un- 
comjDlimentary  remarks  about  beggars,  had  caused  him  to 
abandon  his  design  with  great  precipitation  and  no  little  alarm. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Rustler  looked  on  the  Cockney  as 
a  curiosity,  which  a  kind  Providence  had  sent  to  this  grim 
country  of  toil  and  disappointment,  as  a  perennial  source  of 
amusement.  Garmand  had  learned  one  important  lesson 
early,  namely,  that  bullying  manners  to  supposed  inferiors  do 
not  take  well  in  America.  Hence,  he  cultivated  a  cordiality 
more  in  consonance  with  the  demands  of  his  surroundings. 
He  betrayed  an  almost  childish  ignorance,  not  only  of  mining, 
but  of  everything  pertaining  to  Western  life.  In  a  moment 
of  inspiration,  some  miner,  w^ho  evidently  had  old  Rough  and 
Ready  in  mind,  dubbed  the  Englishman  "  Fresh  and  Ready." 
By  way  of  apology,  a  good-natured  friend  told  Garmand  that 
every  one  in  that  country  must  have  a  nickname,  and,  as  he 
never  appeared  to  tire  of  tramping  arou,nd  the  mountains, 
they  called  him  "  Fresh  and  Ready."  He  laughed  heartily 
over  the  idea,  and  thought  it  a  good  one. 

Soon  after  the  location  of  the  Amazon,  Garmand  wanted 
to  buy  out  Wilson  and  Mack,  'i'hey  offered  to  take  fifty 
thousand  dollars  for  the  entire  claim.  He  thought  it  too 
much,  and  refused  to  buy.  In  two  weeks  he  could  have 
doubled  his  money.  One  day  Shorty  asked  him  to  go  up  the 
long  ridge,  west  of  town  to  see  a  claim.  They  took  the  day 
for  it,  resting  from  time  to  time  as  Garmand  grew  short  of 
breath.  These  breathing-spells  gave  him  opportunities  to 
draw  out  some  of  the  great  fund  of  information  which  Shorty 
possessed,  concernimg  the  country,  and  which  he  was  always 
willing  to  part  with  freely  to  strangers. 

"  Mr.  Shorty,  why  do  they  call  that  bnxl  a  camp-robber?" 
asked  Garmand,  as  one  of  these  birds  lazily  flew  to  a  tree 
near  them.  Shorty  was  not  very  well  up  in  ornithology,  but 
he  was  never  known  to  allow  any  one  to  hunger  long  for 
information. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  26 1 

"Waal,"  said  Shorty^  squatting  on  a  log  and  cutting  off  a 
fresh  chew  of  tobacco,  "  you  see  there  is  a  story  connected 
with  it.  I'll  bet  my  livers  it's  as  rcmantic  as  lots  o'  them 
things  tliey  put  in  books.  You  see,"  said  Shorty,  reaching 
out  for  a  piece  of  quartz  that  lay  on  the  log  left  by  some 
prospector  —  "Now  jest  look  at  that  truck.  I  reckon  I  kin 
tell  the  name  o'  every  claim  within  fifty  miles  as  soon  as  I 
clap  eyes  onto  their  rock."  Then,  with  a  critical  aspect  he 
continued — "That's  outen  the  Silver  Knight  over  the  range 
by  O-Be-Joyful,  an'  this"  —picking  up  another  piece — "is 
outen  the  Storm   King  way  over  by  Tenderfoot  Gulch." 

"  That's  wonderful.     I  don't  see  how  you  can  do  it." 

"After  twenty  years'  rustlin'  ye  kin  bet  yer  lights  a  man 
knows  somethin'  about  rock."  The  truth  of  this  proposi- 
tion appeared  so  probable  that  Garmand  did  not  feel  disposed 
to  risk  any  portion  of  his  anatomy  disputing  it.  He  by  way 
of    reminder,  remarked: 

"  Mr.  Shorty,  you  didn't  finish  the  story  about  the  camp- 
robber." 

"  Damfidid.  My  memory  doesn't  seem  to  have  the  grip 
it  used  to,  'cept  fur  rocks.  I  reckon  it'll  never  let  up  on 
rocks.  Waal,  when  this  country  was  fust  settled  at  Denver 
an'  Pike's  Peak  there  was  some  bad  men  come  into  it " 

"  Av/,  really!  regular  sinners,  I  suppose?" 

"  Sinners!"  said  Shorty,  with  a  tone  of  supreme  contempt, 
"who  cares  fur  sinners?  Holy  Moses!  Why  a  rustler  'ud 
eat  a  nordinary  sinner  fur  breakfast  any  day.  But  these 
warn't  no  sinners  by  a  jugful.  They  was  a  lot  of  cussed 
skunks.  They  wouldn't  stand  right  up  in  a  saloon,  which 
I  reckon  is  the  proper  place  fur  a  fuss,  because  there's  some- 
body by  to  see  fair  play,  and  di^aw  on  their  man  like  a  Chris- 
tian— no,  they  wasn't  that  sort  o'  chaps.  They'd  sneak 
around  a  feller's  tent  in  the  night  an'  shoot  him  while  he  was 
asleep  an'  light  out  with  his  bag  o'  dust  an'  mebbe  his  blan- 
kets. Waal,  that  sort  o'  thing  don't  go  down  with  rustlers. 
It  sticks  in  their  craw.  Over  at  Californy  Gulch  we  ketched 
three  of  them  goin'  through  a  feller's  cabin  while  he  was 
workin'  on  his  claim.  One  was  a  durn  Mexican  greaser  an' 
tother  two  white  men.  One  said  he  was  a  49-er,  but  we 
wouldn't  stand  no  sech  insult  as  that.  We  told  him  he  bet- 
ter say  his  prars  instead  o'  lyin.  So  we  jest  swung  'em  up, 
and  saved  the  ropes,  as  they  was  awful  scarce  and  high  in 
that  camp  an'  come  mighty  handy.      We  laid  'em  side  and 


262  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

side  in  a  gulch  whar  they'd  make  no  disturbance,  an'  shoveled 
some  gravel  over  'em,  though  I  reckon  that  was  a  waste  of 
time  for  sich  ornery  cusses.  We  seed  some  birds  hangin' 
round  there  that  we  hadn't  noticed  before,  so  we  named  'em 
camp-robbers  for  fun.  Now,  it's  powerful  queer,  but  I  hope 
to  be  held  up  right  here,  by  the  ghost  of  iSIoscs,  if  them 
birds  didn't  come    back  next  day  and  decorate   them  graves." 

"No?  Really?" 

"  Fact.  They  put  flowers  on  the  head  an'  they  actooally 
spread  ole  gunny  sacks  an'  ole  socks  over  the  toes  that  was 
stickin'  outen  tliat  gravel." 

"  'Pon  my  soul  that  was  very  strange." 

"  It's  wuss  than  strange.      It  was  a  meracle." 

An  interval  of  climbing  followed  this  historical  narration. 
At  the  next  rest  Shorty  remarked : 

"  ISIr.  Garmand,  this  claim  we're  goin'  to  see  is  a  mighty 
good  'un,  but  it  isn't  a  patchin'  to  the  one  1  have  in  the  San 
Joo-an.  That  has  six  feet  of  pay  streak  that'll  run  two 
thousand  to  the  ton,  half  gold.  I  reckon  the  Bank  of 
England  couldn't  buy  that'n."  Garmand  looked  him  square 
in  the  face  and  then  said : 

"  Now,  really,  Mr.  Shorty,  I  cawn't  accept  thai  statement. 
It  is  asking  too  much — aw  now — it  is,  you  know.  Do  you 
know  what  the  Bank  of  England  is?  It  covers  ground 
enough  for  a  farm.  It  has  tons  of  gold  and  silver  and  wagon 
loads  of  notes  and  stuff.  It  has  clerks  enough  to  run  a 
mining  camp.  Humph!  it  has  money  enough  to  buy  out  the 
whole  of  this  blawsted  country,  you  know,  and  not  miss  it." 
Shorty  quailed.  His  ideas  of  a  bank  were  acquired  chiefly 
from  his  observation  of  the  bank  at  Dolorosa,  which  occupied 
the  front  end  of  a  store,  while  its  limits  in  the  rear  were 
marked  by  a  huge  stack  of  bacon  that  separated  the  finances 
from  the  groceries.  The  idea  of  a  bank  that  covered  a  farm, 
for  a  moment  stampeded  all  other  ideas  in  his  round  bullet 
head  and  left  him  dizzy.  He  knew  it  must  be  an  enormous 
lie  but  he  could  not  successfully  dispute  it.  In  the  moun- 
tains Shorty  was  invincible.  In  London  he  was  a  helpless 
babe.  He  had  made  a  great  mistake  in  ever  daring  to  meet 
the  enemy  on  foreign  soil. 

«  Waal,  that  is" — here  he  used  a  word  for  which  the  new 
version  sometimes  substitutes  Hades.  "Done  up  slick  as  a 
whistle, and  by  old  Fresh  and  Ready,"  he  muttered  to  him- 
self then  relapsed  into  silence. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  263 

Garmand  enjoyed  his  triumph.  He  had  on  several  oc- 
casions in  America  had  a  painful  suspicion  that  the  Yankee 
was  playing  him.  But  this  was  a  new  and  strange  country; 
he  was  prepared  to  hear  strange  things,  and  besides  could  not 
afford  to  doubt  without  adequate  information  to  the  contrary. 
It  takes  a  wise  man  to  doubt,  and  the  Englishman  was  not 
prepared  to  engage  in  any  process  so  difficult  as  to  require 
him  to  fall  back  on  his  mental  reserves.  Still  he  had 
doubted  Shorty's  story  about  the  artistic  lynching  of  six  men 
at  the  Flap  Jack  mine,  which  in  fact  was  true  excepting  a 
few  embellishments  relating  to  unimportant  details. 

In  silence  they  continued  the  journey  to  the  claim,  which 
was  carefully  examined,  Shorty  expatiating  continually  on 
the  richness  of  the  "truck,"  its  body,  etc.  But  the  vein  did 
not  look  so  wide  nor  the  ore  so  rich  as  Garmand  had  expected 
it.  Though  a  valuable  property  it  did  not  seem  to  be  wortli 
over  one-tenth  of  the  fifty  thousand  asked  for  it.  Disgusted 
by  similar  repeated  experiences  Garmand  wisely  determined 
to  return  to  New  York  without  buying  at  all. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

IN  WHICH    SUNDRY    OLD     ACQUAINTANCES     ARE     RENEWED. 

The  apartments  of  the  Hacketts  in  Cardington  street 
looked  exactly  the  same  as  they  had  done  for  years.  The 
superintending  hand  of  Aunt  Rhoda  was  everywhere  visible. 
The  scrupulous  polish  of  the  little  stove  hearth,  which  had  a 
half-oiled  appearance  from  occasional  rubbing  with  a  cloth 
steeped  in  the  dish-water,  betrayed  that  rigid  economy  was 
the  first  consideration,  beauty  the  second.  The  greasy  water 
prevented  the  metal's  rusting.  If  the  polish  did  not  have 
the  metallic  luster  given  by  the  article  manufactured  for  that 
purpose  it  certainly  had  a  domestic  appearance,  when  well 
dried  and  rubbed,  that  looked  far  better.  The  sun  poured 
into  the  windows,  whose  muslin  blinds  were  partially  lowered. 
In  the  window,  drinking  in  deep  draughts  of  this  golden  life 
stream,  stood  a  handsome  geranium.  It  had  been  watered 
and  freshened  with  new  earth  brought  from  Long  Island  by  a 
friend  of  Mary's,  and  so  carefully  dusted  and  burnished    that 


264  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

it  looked  like  a  spick  and  span  new  geranium  from  nature's 
show-window  instead  of  a  sober  old  one  which  had  done 
duty  in  contributing  for  five  years  its  mite  to  the  very  inade- 
quate sum  total  of  floral  beauty  in  this  wilderness  of  blazing 
bricks  and  choking,  grimy  atmosphere.  The  canary  in  the 
cage  was  engaged  in  a  luxurious  bath  as  a  preliminary  to  a 
very  elaborate  toilet  that  befitted  a  canary  of  the  great  me- 
tropolis. Canaries  know  no  distinctions  of  caste,  and  the  gay 
little  prisoner  of  Cardington  street  wore  the  same  chaste,  be- 
coming dress  of  his  fellows  on  Fifth  avenue.  But  despite  his 
pretty  hoppings  and  chirpings  and  his  melodious  song,  the 
canary  continually  reminds  me  of  the  man  who  talks  elo- 
quently of  nothing  to  avoid  a  disagreeable  subject.  He  is 
only  a  poor  miserable  little  prisoner  in  spite  of  his  gayety, 
and  one  of  the  long  line  of  unfortunate,  appealing  prisoners, 
human  and  animal,  who  have  looked  wistfully  through  the 
cruel  bars  since  evil  first  entered  the  world. 

The  sun  streamed  over  the  faded  carjDet  and  lost  itself  in 
the  threadbare  meshes.  A  spot  where  a  hole  had  been 
burned  was  patched  with  a  new  piece,  the  bright  figure  of 
which  shone  out  like  a  peony  in  a  background  of  brown 
forest  leaves.  The  chairs  stood  around  the  room  each  in  its 
accustomed  place.  Space  was  too  scarce  to  allow  the  chairs 
to  run  at  large  over  the  room,  as  they  usually  do  in  illy-regu- 
lated families  where  even  the  furniture  acquires  disorderly 
habits.  An  atmosphere  of  quiet  pervaded  the  place.  Aunt 
Rhoda  sat  sewing.  Mary  was  at  work  at  the  bindery.  An 
old  wooden  clock  ticked  away  monotonously  as  if,  in  its 
younger  days,  it  had  ambitiously  undertaken  to  tick  out  the 
remainder  of  time,  but  had  long  since  been  impressed  with 
the  hopelessness  of  one  clock's  ever  accomplishing  the  feat. 
Like  thousands  of  human  beings  it  ticked  now  chiefly  through 
force  of  habit,  resigned  to  quit  at  any  time.  This  clock  was 
an  heirloom  and  a  curiosity.  On  its  front  below  the  dial  was 
a  remarkable  specimen  of  architecture  in  the  shape  of  a  white 
house  with  red  windows,  yellow  chimneys  and  a  blue  door- 
yard.  Two  cerulean  trees  that  looked  exactly  like  those  bristle 
swabs  used  for  cleaning  lamp  chimneys,  flanked  the  entrance 
to  the  mansion.  Directly  in  front  of  the  pendulum  was  a  little 
oval  window.  Whether  the  clockmaker  intended  this  as  a 
means  by  which  the  pendulum  could  watch  the  housewife,  or 
as  a  medium  through  which  the  housewife  could  observe  any 
neglect  of  duty  on  the  part  of  the  pendulum,  is  a  question 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  265 

which  it  is  not  easy  after  the  lapse  of  so  many  years  to  deter- 
mine. Below  was  another  panel  in  which  was  represented  a 
3'outh  in  a  coat  the  color  of  the  door-yard  and  wearing  a  veiy 
stiff  cravat,  who  was  apparently  making  love  to  a  very  slender 
young  lady  in  a  cheese-colored  dress  with  an  absurdly  long- 
pointed  corsage.  It  is  a  well-attested  fact  that  love  is  blind 
and  there  is  strong  reason  for  believing  that  it  usually  lacks 
one  or  more  of  the  remaining  senses.  Otherwise  it  is  difficult 
to  understand  how  a  young  lady  could  listen  to  the  voice  of 
love  while  encased  in  a  dress  that  reduced  the  up^^er  portion 
of  her  body  to  the  exact  shape  of  a  funnel.  These  persons 
had  a  faded,  tired-out  expression.  In  spite  of  his  gay  attire 
the  young  man  reminded  one  of  an  octogenarian,  and  the 
young  lady  in  the  cheese-colored  dress  recalled  to  my  mind  a 
horrible  little  piece  I  used  to  read  at  school,  entitled,  if  I  re- 
member aright,  "  A  corpse  dressed  for  a  ball."  The  look  of 
depression  to  be  observed  in  the  figures  had  come  to  stay,  as 
it  unfortunately  often  does  in  real  life,  for  Aunt  Rhoda, 
though  she  brightened  up  everything  else,  realized  tlie  im- 
minent risk  of  attempting  to  restore  works  of  art. 

Aside  froni  its  historic  and  artistic  interest,  this  clock 
had  an  economic  one.  It  illustrated  the  thrift  of  a  Connecti- 
cut Yankee.  It  had  cost  Mary  Hackett's  grandfather  sixty 
dollars  sixty  years  before,  one-third  cash,  balance  in  notes  at 
six  per  cent.  To  make  it  had  cost  the  enterprising  money 
getter  who  dealt  in  time,  about  five  dollars.  Aunt  Rhoda  laid 
aside  her  work  with  a  sigh: 

"  Dear  me,  it's  dreadful  lonesome  since  he's  gone.  It  was 
good  of  that  Miss  Tngledee  to  call,  such  a  fine  lady  as  she  is. 
But  all  their  good  turns  wont  bring  Johnnie  back."  There 
was  a  knock  at  the  door.  Aunt  Rhoda  ooened  it.  and  Mrs. 
Malley  appeared: 

"  Good-mornin',  Miss  Hackett.  How  are  ye  this  morn- 
in'?" 

"  I'm  well  as  usual;  take  a  chair." 

"An'  are  ye  gittin'  reconciled.?  The  Lord  knows  what's 
best  for  us." 

"  Oh,  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  it,  Mrs.  Malley." 

*'  Seems  to  me  if  I  lost  Pipe  or  Quill  that  way,  I  couldn't 
stand  it." 

"  If  I  could  only  'a  seen  him  buried  I  shouldn't  'a  cared." 

"  Miss  Hackett,  if  my  boys  was  took  oflT  that  way,  and 
specially   Pipe,  I  know    I'd  go  wild.       I   couldn't  keep  up 


266  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

under  it.  It  was  bad  enough  when  Malley  went  with  a  fever. 
But  then  I  saw  him  go,  an'  knowed  just  where  he  went  to." 
The  exact  bearing  of  Mrs.  Malley's  allusions  was  sometimes 
not  very  discernible.  Here  she  did  not  mean  to  say  that  she 
knew  just  where  her  departed  husband's  future  abode  might 
be  located,  but  that  she  had  seen  him  properly  buried. 

Country  people,  and  in  fact,  poor  people  generally,  have 
strange  ideas  of  what  constitutes  consolation  in  time  of 
bereavement.  Around  the  sick  bed  they  whisper  their  worst 
fears,  and  indiscreet  visitors  indulge  in  dire  predictions,  and 
cite  parallel  cases  with  fatal  terminations.  After  the  funeral 
they  offer  the  most  lugubrious  consolation.  With  them,  as 
with  better  informed  people  who  fall  into  a  certain  phase  of 
religion,  man  is  a  worm  who  was  destined  to  be  continually 
rolled  in  the  dry  dust  of  sorrow.  For  him  the  most  direful 
thing  that  can  happen  is  to  be  expected,  and  is  scarcely  the 
deserts  of  his  iniquity.  The  commonest  consolation  usually 
heard  on  these  occasions  of  sorrow  is  the  remark,  "  Well,  he's 
better  off  where  he's  gone  than  he  was  here."  After  some 
further  dismal  attempts  at  consolation,  Mrs.  Malley  turned 
the  subject  of  conversation  in  the  direction  of  her  own  boys. 

"  Say  as  ye  like,  them  boys  has  been  good  to  me,  an' 
that's  more  than  some  mothers  can  say." 

"  They're  go  ahead  boys.  Now  our  Johnnie  never  could 
'a  done  much,  being  a  cripple." 

"  It's  Pipe  that's  got  the  go  aliead,  I  guess.  Would  you 
believe  since  he  started  in  business  he's  saved  nearly  two 
hundred  dollars?" 

"  I  want  to  know." 

"  Now  he's  goin'  to  rent  a  store  and  put  up  a  big  sign, 
«  Pipe  Malley  &  Co." 

"  I  want  to  know." 

"  Pipe  says  he'll  have  a  wagon  yet,  with  Pipe  Malley 
&  Co.  painted  on  the  side.      That'll  be  a  proud  day  for  him." 

"  Who's  the  company.     Isn't  Quill  an  equal  partner?  " 

"  No,  he's  not  been  took  in  yet.  I  wanted  him  to  be,  for 
it  didn't  seem  fair  seein'  they  were  twins,  to  keep  Quill  out  of 
the  firm.  But  Pipe  said  he  had  started  the  fruit  stand  and 
made  all  the  capital,  and  if  Quill  wanted  to  go  in  he'd  haf  to 
put  up  the  money.  I'd  put  ic  up  myself,  only  I  couldn't  raise 
a  hundred  dollars  if  I  broke  my  back  at  the  wash  tub.  So 
Quill  will  have  to  work  for  the  firm  as  a  clerk." 

"If  Quill  had  any  snap  he'd  work  for  himself  and  git  a 
business  of  his  own." 


An  iron  crown.  267 

"  But  Quill  is  easy  like,  an'  faith  I  believe  he  couldn't  man- 
age the  business  if  he  had  it." 

A  glance  at  Mr.  Quill  Malley's  affairs  may  be  of  interest 
here.  At  first,  loth  to  enter  Roker's  employ  and  play  spy  on 
his  teacher's  friend.  Quill  had  soon  managed  to  overcome  his 
scruples  toward  a  business  which  brought  him  in  a  dollar  so 
easily  every  time  he  engaged  in  it.  Then  the  business  which 
consisted  merely  in  dodging  around  corners  and  watching  a 
man,  was  to  his  notion  very  agreeable  and  highly  genteel. 
But  on  Tom  Norwell's  absence  Quill's  new  occupation  was 
ended  as  suddenly  as  it  began.  Bv  hanging  around  Roker's 
lodgings  he  at  last  caught  a  sight  of  that  individual,  and  with 
papers  under  his  arm  managed  to  meet  tlie  smooth-faced 
gentleman,  whose  thin  lips  concealed  a  hair-trigger  snarl 
warranted  to  go  off  instantly.  Crossing  directly  in  front  of 
Roker,  Quill  called: 

"  Heral,  Mister?  Worl,  Times,  Heral?  "  Then  lowering 
his  voice  he  ventured,  "  Say  Mister,  can't  ye  give  a  fellow 
'nother  job?  "  Roker  gave  a  most  forbidding  scowl  and  ac- 
companied it  with  a  threatening  movement  of  his  cane.  Quill 
shrank  back. 

"You  little  scoundrel,  I'll  give  you  a  job.  You're  hang- 
ing round  this  place  watching  the  house  to  give  information  to 
some  gang  of  burglars.  Yes,  I'll  give  you  a  good  long  job. 
Here's  a  policeman  at  the  next  corner."  Then  he  grabbed 
Quill  by  the  arm. 

"  Please  don't,  Mister,"  said  Quill  meekly,  afraid  to  resist. 
"  I  wasn't  doin'  nothin'.'" 

"  Don't  lie  to  me,  you  little  scamp.  There  have  been 
several  burglaries  committed  in  this  street  lately." 

"Please  Mister,  I'm  innocenter  than  — "  Here  Quill's 
rhetoric  failed  him,  not  being  well  supplied  with  similes  that 
did  justice  to  excessive  innocence,  never  having  had  occasion 
before  to  use  them.  "  I  seed  no  harm  in  speakin'  to  a  old  ac- 
quaintance. Lemme  go  this  time  an'  I'll  never  show  up  here 
agin." 

"Oh,  you  won't?" 

"  Honor  bright,  I  won't." 

"  What  do  you  think  I'd  do  if  you  did?" 

"  I  'spose  I'd  git  six  months  any  way." 

"  Your  judgment  is  very  correct,  I  see.  You  know  then 
that  I  shall  be  compelled  to  have  you  locked  up,  eh?  You 
tvaiit  to  be  locked  up  do  you,  poking  your  nose  into  other 
people's  affairs  ?  " 


268  AN    IROX    CROWN. 

"  No  I  don't.     I  know  youM  like  to  do  it." 

'  I  don't  want  to,  but  I'm  afraid  I'll  have  to.  Now  clear 
out,"  said  Roker,  giving  Quill  a  shove.  The  latter  needed  no 
second  invitation.  His  little  plan'  of  going  into  "  business  " 
too,  and  surprising  his  brother  Pipe,  had  signally  failed. 

"  This  is  wot  a  feller  gits,"  he  murmured,  when  out  of 
Roker's  hearing,  "  fur  accommodatin' them  fly  chaps.  They 
hain't  no  more  thanks  about  'em  than  a  oyster." 

After  Air.  Norwell's  death,  Alice  Norwell  feeling  that  she 
must  now  earn  her  own  living,  had  taken  a  very  plain  little 
room  where  she  could  reduce  her  expenses  to  a  minimum. 
She  knew  how  to  do  nothing  in  particular,  and  numerous  ap- 
plications in  answer  to  advertisements,  only  revealed  her  in- 
capacity, and  the  hard  fact  that  the  best  she  could  hope  to  get 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances  would  be  very  little. 
Hickley  had  furnished  her  with  legal  copying,  which  she  was 
able  to  do  rapidly  and  well.  He  advised  her  to  learn  short- 
hand and  type-writing.  The  latter  business  was  then  in  its 
infancy  and  promised  very  handsome  remuneration.  Gar- 
mand  had  called  on  her  several  times  before  making  his  trip 
to  the  West.  He  was  delighted  with  the  cosiness  of  the  tiny 
parlor  which  7\lice  was  allowed  to  use  for  the  reception  of 
company. 

"  Really,  this  is  quite  chawming.  Miss  Norwell," 

"  I  like  it  very  much.     The  people  are  very  kind  to  me." 

"  Poor  people,  I  suppose.  'Pon  my  soul,  they  seem  to  get 
along  uncommon  comfortably.  I  wouldn't  mind  trying  it 
awhile  myself.  I  suppose  after  all  it's  chiefly  the  way  we 
look  at  things  that  makes  the  difference." 

"  A  palace  is  a  poor  exchange  for  happiness,"  said  Alice, 
with  a  smile,  which  the  careful  observer  would  have  con- 
sti"ued  as  an  expression  of  resignation  to  her  misfortunes. 

"  That  is  a  highly  expressive  way  of  stating  the  case.  I 
venture  the  people  who  live  in  palaces  never  thought  of  that 
at  all.  I  almost  feel  as  if  I  could  be  poor  myself.  It  must  be 
chawming,  just  for  a  change." 

Wyndleigh  Garmand  spoke  of  poverty  much  as  he  would 
speak  of  a  boot  that  was  rather  too  tight.  He  was  apparently 
under  the  impression  that  it  could,  like  that  useful  article  of 
dress,  be  laid  aside,  when  it  pinched  a  ti'ifle  too  hard,  and  for- 
gotten. As  a  change,  perhaps,  even  poverty  might  be  agree- 
able for  a  time.  He  knew  no  more  of  poverty  than  he  did 
of  most  other  things  outside  that  favored    circle  of  British 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  369 

society,  in  which  no  man  works  or  takes  a  thought  of  the 
morrow. 

Had  Garmand  only  admitted  it,  or  thought  of  the  subject 
at  all,  he  would  have  found  that  the  chitf  interest  attached  to 
this  out-of-the-way  abode  of  respectable  jDOverty,  was  not  the 
little  artifices  by  which  poverty  strove  to  make  itself  en- 
durable, but  the  comj^anionship  of  the  refined  woman  he  met 
there.  He  knew  she  was  not  beautiful,  especially  since  mis- 
fortune had  added  a  shade  to  the  gravity  of  features  never  in- 
clined to  levity.  But  then  he  could  forgive  the  lack  of  beauty 
in  woman,  which  some  men  never  can  do.  This  one  could 
interest  him  in  almost  any  subject  by  her  graces  of  intellect 
and  conversational  resources.  Then,  as  she  at  heart  pitied  his 
ignorance  of  American  ways,  she  indirectly  corrected  many 
little  blunders  of  which  he  was  guilty.  This  was  done  so 
delicately  that  he  felt  obliged  for  the  information,  while  he 
flattered  himself  that  she  was  unconscious  of  the  service  she 
was  rendering. 

When  the  legacy  received  by  Tom  and  Alice  had  par- 
tially retrieved  their  fortunes,  they  hired  better  apartments  in 
a  good  locality,  and  lived  in  comfort  again.  Their  income, 
however,  would  not  admit  of  any  attempt  at  style.  But  Alice 
had  no  desire  to  participate  much  in  the  doings  of  the  so- 
called  best  society.  She  could  amuse  herself  more  profitably 
with  a  much  less  expenditure  of  time,  money  and  strength. 
Tom  was  still  popular,  and  under  the  aegis  of  Chetta  Ingle- 
dee's  friendship,  again  entered  the  circles  to  which  he  had 
been  accustomed.  Some  of  their  former  friends  were  rather 
cool  in  their  treatment  of  the  Norwells.  Miss  Harrie  Snicker 
in  particular  thought  that  now  when  they  were  poor  they 
ought  not  to  crowd  themselves  into  select  society.  "If  people 
were  allowed  to  go  where  nobody  wanted  them,  pretty  soon 
society  would  be  dreadfully  common." 

May  Bryce,  who  was  visiting  an  aunt  that  lived  a  short 
distance  up  the  Hudson,  was  in  the  city  a  great  deal  now,  and 
always  stopped  with  the  Norwells.  She  and  Alice  had  be- 
come fast  friends.  Theater  parties,  card  parties,  and  other 
means  of  amusement,  were  planned  especially  for  May's 
benefit.  In  this  respect  it  was  hard  to  tell  which  was  most 
attentive  to  their  guest,  the  brother  or  the  sister.  Alice's  in- 
terest resembled  that  of  an  elder  sister  toward  a  younger,  for 
whom  she,  in  a  measure,  takes  the  place  of  a  mother.  May's 
unsophisticated   country   ways  had  a  certain  charm  for  this 


270  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

young  lady,  who  had  all  the  niceties  of  refinement  and  ele- 
gances of  manner  imparted  by  constant  intercourse  with  polite 
society,  but  who  never  showed  them  off  merely  for  effect. 
But  IMay  Bryce  was  no  country  school-girl  with  hoydenish 
manners.  She  was  unpracticed  but  not  awkward,  diffident 
but  not  dull.  Her  mind  had  received  careful  training,  and 
slie  had  read  considerable,  and,  better  still, only  the  best  books. 
Her  father  and  mother,  unlike  most  couiitiy  people,  were  com- 
petent to  advise  in  this  particular,  for  they  had  themselves  en- 
joyed exceptional  advantages  for  jjeople  in  their  station  of 
life.  Mr.  Bryce  was  known  as  a  wealthy  farmer,  and  could 
afford  to  indulge  his  daughter's  tastes. 

Within  the  circle  of  her  friends.  May  was  of  a  very  con- 
fiding nature.  She  had  never  deceived  anybody  in  her  life, 
and  believed  everybody  else  incaj^able  of  deceit,  except,  per- 
haps, an  occasional  very  bad  person,  such  as  novelists  employ 
for  villains.  She  had  an  imaginative  nature  that  delighted 
to  dwell  in  an  ideal  world.  This  feature  of  her  character  had 
grown  to  abnormal  proportions  for  several  reasons.  She  had 
never  seen  any  great  trouble.  She  had  no  brothers  and  sis- 
ters, hence  bad  missed  that  valuable  adjunct  to  true  develop- 
ment, intimate  association  with  those  who  cannot  conceal  their 
foults,  and  whose  virtues  may  not  be  exaggerated  by  the  halo 
of  distance.  May  had  never  been  a  leader  even  in  the  simple 
society  of  her  neighborhood.  She  formed  none  of  those 
sweet  girl  acquaintanceships  which  are  so  effusive  and  ephe- 
meral. Hence  her  opportunities  to  learn  by  observation  what 
human  nature  reall}'  was,  were  few.  Her  reluctance  to  form 
intimate  acquaintances  was  chiefly  because  she  had  constantly 
pictured  to  herself  superior  beings,  and  was  consequently  not 
satisfied  with  the  commonplace  ones  she  saw  around  her. 
Many  arrive  at  this  same  result  by  constant  reading  of  highly 
sentimental  fiction,  but  in  May  Bryce  it  was  a  consequence  of 
the  feeling  that  in  delicacy  of  perception  and  refinement  of 
feeling,  she  was  far  superior  to  the  young  folks  with  whom 
she  was  thrown.  She  secretly  hoped  that  sometime  she  might 
occupy  a  more  exalted  sphere  in  life.  In  her  chikllike  ig- 
norance of  human  nature  she  was  painfully  credulous.  The 
most  improbable  fib  told  by  some  mischievous  companion 
passed  for  truth,  because,  since  she  had  no  impulses  toward 
deception,  she  thought  others  could  have  none.  She  learned 
slowly  the  painful  truth  that  all  men  lie  naturally,  that  some  lie 
with  a  conscience,  and  others  lie  for  the  love  of  it.     She  was 


AN    IRON    CROWN  3^1 

SO  tender  hearted  that  she  would  not  willingly  give  pain  to 
the  most  insignificant  creature.  But  in  spite  of  all  these  traits 
of  character,  which  may  comhine  in  rare  instances  to  render 
the  life  of  their  possessor  very  happy,  but  ordinarily  bring 
only  misery,  May  Bryce  had  others  equally  strong  in  an  op- 
posite direction.  She  had  a  vigorous  intellect,  whose  gifts 
would  win  her  recognition  in  any  society  in  which  she  might 
be  thrown.  She  had  a  will  power  which,  aided  by  con- 
scientiousness, would  in  case  of  any  great  crisis,  enable  her  to 
take  a  decided  stand  and  abide  the  consequences,  whatever 
they  might  be.  With  all  her  natural  diffidence  of  character 
and  her  erratic,  exuberant  imagination  she  was  not  a  purpose- 
less girl.  She  could  conceive  difficult  undertakings  and  though 
they  might  possess  a  shade  of  the  impractical,  the  product  of 
her  luxuriant  fancy,  she  had  the  patience  and  perseverance  to 
carry  them  out  to  a  legitimate  conclusion.  Her  slender 
figure,  delicate  features  and  fair  complexion,  gave  her  a  child- 
like appearance  which  did  injustice  to  her  real  womanhood. 
She  was  a  noble  woman,  as  pure  as  an  angel,  with  strong  con- 
victions, and  an  instinctive  hatred  of  everything  that  was 
wrong. 

Possessing  such  a  nature  she  must  of  necessity  be  im- 
pressed with  the  cordial,  easy  manners  of  Tom  Norwell.  To 
good  manners  he  joined  the  attractions  of  more  than  ordinary 
personal  beauty.  He  was,  or  at  least  she  thought  he  was, 
which  amounted  to  the  same  thing,  the  ideal  hero  of  whom 
she  had  long  dreamed,  but  had  never  met  among  the  fiirmcr 
boys  of  Illinois.  She  worshiped  him  at  once  and  with  her 
whole  soul,  without  the  thought  ever  entering  her  head  that 
such  devotion  might  not  be  best  for  her.  This  feeling  was 
not  conscious  love,  it  was  simply  admiration  of  an  unattain- 
able object.  But  when  this  demi-god  had  smiled  on  her  in 
return,  and  even  asked  for  her  company  to  the  spelling  school, 
she  was  supremely  happy.  It  was  bliss  such  as  ^he  had 
dreamed  of,  but  never  hoped  to  attain  while  she  remained  in 
her  prairie  home.  She  accepted  his  attentions  for  much  more 
than  they  meant,  and  never  thought  of  concealing  the  pleas- 
sure  she  felt  in  his  company. 

No  unmarried  young  man  with  any  pretensions  to  culture 
can  be  insensible  to  the  charms  of  an  intelligent,  refined 
young  woman,  especially  when  these  attractions  are  com- 
bined with  sufficient  beauty.  Tom  Norwell  natui'ally  was 
interested  in  May  Bryce  while  a  guest  in  her  father's  house. 


272  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

He  left,  thinking-  of  her  occasionally  as  he  would  of  any 
other  lady  friend  met  under  similar  circumstances.  She,  in 
her  innocence  of  the  world,  had  given  him  her  heart  at  the 
very  beginning. 

When  Tom  returned  from  Colorado  he  found  May  visit- 
ing with  his  sister.  The  former  acquaintance  was  renewed 
with  mutual  pleasure.  As  the  weeks  passed,  Tom  began  to 
think  over  the  situation.  He  had  not  seen  Chetta  Ingledee 
as  often  lately  as  he  did  formerly.  She  was  just  as  friendly 
as  ever,  and  reproached  him  for  his  neglect  of  old  acquaint- 
ances. But  he  was  comparatively  a  poor  man  now,  while 
she  was  still  the  wealthiest  heiress  in  America.  He  felt  that 
they  could  never  again  be  the  old  friends  they  were  before 
his  misfortunes.  He  would  never  lay  himself  open  to  the 
imputation  of  fortune  hunting.  Then  he  could  not  bring 
himself  to  acknowledge  that  he  had  ever  really  loved  Chetta. 
There  was  a  something  of  assertiveness  in  her  character 
which  jarred  on  his  notions  of  what  the  ideal  wife  should  be. 
Soon  he  began  by  degrees  to  feel  that  he  was  rather  fond  of 
May  Bryce.  Perhaps,  without  really  intending  it,  in  a  par- 
ticularly tender  mood  one  evening  as  they  promenaded  a 
fashionable  avenue  he  told  his  love  and  learned  that  it  was 
returned.  He  told  her  frankly  his  financial  circumstances 
and  dwelt  on  the  expense  of  living  in  New  York.  Her 
love  was  not  marred  by  any  disagreeable  reflections  on  the 
subject  of  house  rent  or  grocer's  bills.  She  was  happy  to 
know  that  she  was  loved.  That  was  sufficient  for  the  pres- 
ent. He  told  her  they  must  not  think  of  marrying  for 
several  years.  Meantime,  he  asked  her  to  tell  the  engage- 
ment to  no  one  in  New  York.  She  cared  nothing  whether 
the  betrothal  was  a  secret  or  made  public.  She  was  su- 
premely happy,  and  that  was  enough. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  SURPRISE  FOR  THE  HACKETTS,  WITH  THINGS  BOTH  PLEAS- 
ANT AND  UNPLEASANT  FOR  MR.  QUILL  MALLEY. 

After  clue  time  the  necessary  legal  steps  had  been  taken, 
and  the  Norwells  received  the  legacy  bequeathed  to  them. 
Alice  at  once  invested  hers  in  bonds,  where  there  could  be  no 
possible  chance  of  loss.  The  six  per  cent,  interest  derived 
from  her  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  would  give  her  an 
ample  income  for  a  single  woman  of  modest  wants.  She 
urged  a  like  investment  upon  Tom,  for  she  did  not  approve 
his  feverish  desire  to  get  rich.  He  laughed  at  his  sister's  ad- 
vice, saying  tliat  secure  investment  was  the  proper  thing  for 
women,  but  a  man,  by  watching  opportunities,  could  do 
much  better  with  ready  cash. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  Tom's  money  was 
finally  placed  to  his  account  in  the  bank,  he  came  home  in 
fine  spirits.  Fortune  had  smiled  on  him  at  last.  He  hoped 
this  slight  relaxation  of  feature  on  the  part  of  that  capricious 
dame  was  a  forerunner  of  the  graciousness  with  which  she 
regards  her  favorites.  During  the  day  he  had  drawn  from 
the  bank  ten  crisp  one  hundred  dollar  greenbacks.  After 
dinner  he  took  his  hat  about  seven  o'clock  and  strolled  down 
town,  saying  to  Alice  he  was  going  out  to  call  on  a  friend. 
He  went  directly  to  the  East  side  and  soon  found  himself  in 
Cardington  street,  where  the  Hacketts  lived.  Mounting  the 
grimy,  decayed  stairway,  he  rapped  at  their  door,  which 
was    opened  by  Mary. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Norwell — come  in.  We're  ever  so  glad  to 
see  you."  The  smile  that  lighted  Mary's  thoughtful  face 
and  the  sparkle  in  her  eyes  told  plainly  that  her  greeting  was 
no  idle  compliment. 

"  Good-evening,  Mary,"  said  Tom,  giving  her  hand  a 
hearty  shake.     "  How  are  you,  Aunt  Rhoda?" 

"  I'm  kind  o'  grunty,  Mr.  Tom,"  said  Aunt  Rhoda,  in  a 
tone  which  implied  that  life  is  a  very  gay  afTair  usually  and  that 
its  levity  must  be  toned  down  occasionally  by  the  interjection 
is  (273) 


374  -^N    IRON    CROWN. 

of  lugubrious  intervals  as  a  sort  of  protest  against  excessive 

light-heartedness. 

"OKI  complaint?"  said  Tom. 

"  Yes,"  said  Aunt  Rhoda,  with  a  sigh  that  sounded  the 
very  depths  of  resigned  and  determined  gruntiness.  "  I'll 
never  get  rid  of  it,  I  guess." 

Now,  tlie  "  old  complaint"  was  a  medley  of  imaginary 
disorders,  for  which  the  medical  fraternity,  with  all  their 
marvelous  resources  of  nomenclature,  had  no  adequate  name. 
Aunt  Rhoda,  in  fact,  enjoyed  very  good  health  for  an  old 
person,  and  beyond  a  little  rheumatism  and  other  trifling 
ailments,  there  was  nothing  the  matter.  Her  condition  was 
aptly  described  as  grunty.  It  is  a  disease  which  never  kills 
but  works  itself  off  for  the  time  being  in  that  pointless 
grumbling  which  seems  to  give  as  much  satisfaction  to  the 
grumbler  as  it  does  annoyance  to  those  who  are  compelled 
to  listen. 

"  Aunt  doesn't  feel  very  well.  The  damp  weather  af- 
fects her  rheumatism.  She's  getting  along  in  years,  you 
know." 

"  Gittin'  on  in  years !  Sixty-five  isn't  gittin'  on  at  all. 
Mary,  your  grandfather,  John  Hackett,  was  nigh  onto  a  hun- 
dred when  he  died.  Wouldn't  'a  died  then  if  he  hadn't 
caught  a  desperate  cold  that  took  him  off  sudden." 

Soon  the  conversation  was  turned  toward  the  departed 
member  of  the  family.  The  two  women  plied  Tom  with 
questions  concerning  Little  Ilackett's  last  illness,  death  and 
burial.  They  inquired  into  the  most  minute  particulars 
after  the  strange  fashion  of  certain  people  who  love  to  dwell 
on  the  most  trifling  incidents  connected  with  their  dead. 
They  asked  about  his  sickness,  his  last  words,  his  appearance 
before  death,  whether  the  corpse  looked  natural,  how  deep 
his  grave  was,  the  kind  of  coffin,  the  appearance  of  the 
burial  place,  the  services,  and  in  short,  everything  connected 
with  the  sad  event.  Tom  answered  all  fully  and  patiently, 
for  this  was  his  first  visit  of  any  length  since  his  return  and 
he  knew  that  this  knowledge  would  serve  to  allay  the  grief 
of  the  sorrowing  women  and  soften  memory  with  the  cer- 
tainty that  all  had  been  fittingly  done.  His  thoughtful  kind- 
ness was  the  debt  of  man  to  man.  In  all  the  ages  of  eternity 
there  is  only  one  second  of  equality  and  that  is  the  open 
grave.  Tom's  own  recent  bereavement  made  him  very 
patient  of  this  sad  inquisition  into  the   last  scenes  of  death. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  275 

The  man  of  the  world  met  on  equality  with  these  simple- 
minded  poor  folks.  They  had  all  suffered,  and  all  remem- 
bered. 

As  Tom  was  about  to  depart  he  drew  the  ten  new  bills 
from  his  pocket  and  said  : 

"Mary,  here  is  the  thousand  dollars  your  brother  invested 
with  us.  I  succeeded  in  saving  it,  after  all.  Take  it  and 
loan  it  again."'  Aunt  Rhoda  gave  an  exclamation  of  delight: 
"  Oh,  Mr.  Tom,  it's  rale  good  of  you  to  take  so  much 
pains  for  poor  bodies  like  us.  But  how  did  you  manage  it.'' 
We  give  it  up  for  lost  long  ago." 

"  Oh,"  said  Tom,  evasively,  "  I  couldn't  do  much  but  just 
wait  till  everything  was  settled." 

"  Well,  it's  dreadful  good  of  you.  I  always  said  the 
Norwells  weren't  the  small  kind  to  take  advantage  of  poor 
folks  if  they   could  help  it." 

"Why,  Auntie!"  said  Mary,  hastily,  "how  absurdly  you 
talk.  Who  ever  said  they  would  cheat  anybody?"  Mary 
followed  Tom  Norwell  to  the  door  and  said  in  a  low  tone 
outside; 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  you  didn't  get  it  back."  He  was  silent. 
She  continued:     "  We  can't  take  it  this  way." 

"  I'd  rather  you  would.  I  advised  Johnnie  to  invest  and 
he  lost." 

"  It  wasn't  your  fiiult.  He  took  his  chances  and  lost. 
We  can  get  along.  I  have  mine  yet,  and  my  pay  has  been 
raised  to  ten  dollars  per  week.  Take  it  back,"  and  she 
handed  him  the  bills. 

"  No,  Mary,  I  will  not  take  it  back.  Keep  the  money. 
You  see  I  fell  heir  to  a  pretty  snug  sum  and  I've  plenty. 
Take  it  to  Hickley  and  he  will  loan  it  for  you." 

"I'd  rather  not  take  it." 

"  If  you  don't  want  to  have  a  falling  out  with  me,  Mary, 
you'd  better  keep  it," — and  with  a  laugh  Tom  went  quickly 
down  stairs. 

"  Mary,  it  seems  to  me  it  took  you  a  pretty  good  spell  to 
let  Mr.  Tom  out." 

"  Why,  Aunty,  I  was  only  a  minute." 

"Landsakes!  you  was  nearer  five.  Mary,  I  guess  you 
be  as  sensible  as  most  girls  of  your  age.  But  it  isn't  sensi- 
ble for  a  young  girl  to  dally  at  the  door  with  a  young  man, 
especially  when  he's  her  betters."  Mary  looked  up  with 
astonishment,  and  then  quietly  remarked: 


376  AN    IRON    CROWN 

"  Auntie,  I'm  surprised." 

"I'm  not.  I've  seen  too  much  nonsense  between  boys 
and  girls  in  my  time.  My  father  never  allowed  me  to 
swing  on  the  gate.  People  in  Vermont  thought  an3'thing 
proper  to  be  said  at  all  could  be  said  in  the  scttin'  room 
afore  the  old  folks.  Mary,  you  take  care.  Tom  Nor  well's 
a  handsome,  spry  young  chap  with  takin'  ways,  but  I  guess 
he  don't  care  nothin'  particler  about  you."  Mary's  cheeks 
were  scarlet,  which  fortunately  Aunt  Rhoda  could  not  see, 
for  the  young  lady  just  then  was  searching  industriously  for 
a  thimble  in  the  little  workbox  on  the  shelf.  She  said 
quietly: 

"Aunty,  I  never  thought  he  did." 

On  his  way  home,  as  Tom  was  emerging  from  a  cross 
street  near  the  Bowery,  he  caught  sight  of  a  sign  over  the 
way  which  read,  "  Pipe  Malley  &  Co.,  Dealers  in  Choice 
Fruits."  In  his  first  moments  of  surprise,  Tom  hardly  knew 
what  to  make  of  this  unexpected  apparition.  Then  he 
concluded  that  Chetta  Ingledee  must  have  set  up  her  pupils 
in  business.  He  crossed  and  took  a  look  at  their  store.  This 
emporium  of  commerce  was  not  of  large  dimensions.  It  was 
situated  in  a  shabby  old  brick  building  which  had  no  great 
depth.  The  original  store  had  been  divided  into  two,  leaving 
each  perhaps  ten  feet  front  by  thirty  feet  deep,  the  rear  facing 
another  street,  being  set  off  into  a  store  running  the  other 
way.  One  of  these  narrow  rooms  was  occupied  by  Pipe 
Malley  &  Co.,  the  other  by  a  shoemaker.  Pipe  came  for- 
ward with  his  best  manner  to  welcome  the  customer.  He 
had  noticed  the  bland  smile  and  polite  greeting  of  other  shop- 
keepers, and  was  learning  them  himself,  though  for  a  day  or 
two  he  felt  a  little  disappointed  at  the  results.  His  manner 
did  not  seem  to  impress  customers  greatly  as  yet. 

"  Wot' 11  you  have  this  evenin',  sir?"  Pipe  began. 

"  I  just  dropped  in  to  see  if  you  were  a  gentleman  I  used 
to  know." 

"  Lemme  see.  Why,  if  you  hain't  Mr.  Norwell.  You 
know  some  friends  of  mine,  I  guess.     Glad  ter  see  you." 

Mr.  Pipe  Malley  was  clad  in  a  coarse,  ready-made  suit  of 
gray  stuff.  He  wore  whole  shoes  which  had  been  carefully 
polished — by  Quill — and  a  collar  which  had  not  been  polished 
for-  several  days.  Altogether,  he  looked  a  very  gentleman  of 
fashion  compared  with  what  he  had  once  been.  Quill  was 
behind  the  counter  gaping  at  Tom,  and  mentally  revolving 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  2^7 

what  a  rare  opportunity  that  was  of  earning^  a  dollar  if 
"that  duffer  hadn't  gone  and  played  him  so  mean."  That 
young  gentleman  was  not  so  pretentiously  arrayed  as  his  twin 
brother.  In  this  particular  he  could  scarcely  have  asserted 
with  any  degree  of  confidence  that  "  he  was  twins  too."  In 
fact,  he  wore  a  suit  which  his  more  fastidious  counterpart  had 
rejected  as  unfit  to  deck  the  person  of  the  j^roprietor  of  a 
store.  In  addition  to  exceedingly  rough  usage,  Quill's  cloth- 
ing had  the  disadvantage  of  being  too  small,  Pipe  himself, 
the  year  before,  having  found  them  very  inconvenient  in  this 
respect.  The  pantaloons  weie  considerably  too  short,  and  in 
conformity  to  the  law  of' antagonism  between  trousers  and 
hose,  Quill's  socks  persisted  in  settling  down  in  wrinkles  till 
they  reposed  comfortably  on  his  shoe  tops,  leaving  exposed  a 
zone  of  very  dirty  ankle.  Quill's  face  matched  his  ankles, 
and  ills  hands  exceeded  both  in  dirtiness,  for  he  was  con- 
stantly foraging  among  decayed  oranges  and  moldy  figs. 
Like  some  people  of  much  more  pretentious  station,  Quill 
was  perhaps  devouring  articles  liable  to  spoil  in  order  to  save 
them.  A  customer  entered  and  asked  for  some  figs.  Though 
not  a  particularly  fastidious-looking  man  himself,  when  he 
saw  Quill  burrowing  among  them  with  his  dirty  hands,  he 
objected : 

"  Young  man,  I  think  your  hands  are  not  very  clean  for 
the  fruit  business." 

Pipe  at  once  came  forward. 

"  Quill,  hain't  I  give  orders  often  enough  that  things  must 
be  kep'  clean.  There's  no  use  tellin'  you  anything.  Go  and 
wash  them  hands.  No  soap,  ain't  they  ?  Go  out  an'  git  a 
cake."  Then  he  waited  on  the  customer  himself,  and  gave 
him  his  change  with  a  polite  bow.  Pipe's  bow  still  twisted 
abnormally  to  the  right,  in  spite  of  his  efforts  to  make  it  con- 
form to  the  rectilinear  popular  standard.  Like  a  tree  that 
has  been  once  bent,  and  still  persists  in  lojiping  over  under 
pressure  of  wind  and  rain,  Pipe's  bow,  which,  on  ordinary 
occasions  was  good  enough,  and  improving  with  luxurious 
habits  and  associations,  flew  ofl'on  a  tangent  when  he  labored 
under  some  excitement.  As  Norwell  was  leaving.  Pipe 
said : 

"Can't  you  come  agin,  Mr.  Norwell?  If  ye  hain't  no 
reglar  place  o'  dealin',  try  our  establishment.  Pipe  Malley 
&  Co.  guarantees  straight  goods  an'  prompt  attention." 

Extending  such  encouragement  to  the  young  merchant  as 


278  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

courtesy  required,  Tom  bade  Pipe  good-evening.  Just  then 
Quill  returned  from  an  adjoining  grocery  with  a  bar  of  soap. 
Pipe  was  in  a  bad  humor  with  Quill's  slovenly  habits,  which 
exhibited  no  improvement. 

"Say,  young  feller,"  he  began,  "wot  do  you  mean  by 
insultin'  of  customers  that  way?  If  you  don't  look  out  you'll 
be  huntin'  another  situation  some  fine  day,  you  will." 

"  I  wasn't  doin'  nothin'.  Kin  I  help  it  if  fellers  comes 
inter  the  store  in  a  bad  humor  and  begins  to  growl?" 

"Oh,  you  wasn't  doin'  nothin',  eh?  No,  notliin'  but  eatin' 
figs  an'  daubin'  'em  on  yer  face.  Yer  eatin'  yer  head  off 
every  day.     It's  got  to  be  stopped." 

"  Well,  'spose  a  customer  kicks.  Kin  I  help  it?  Tain't 
fair.     If  I  aiii't  a  partner,  ain't  I  twins  too?" 

"  Mind  yer  that  customer  wasn't  kickin'  at  the  goods.  He 
was  kickin'  at  the  clerk.  A  customer's  got  a  right  to  kick  at 
the  clerk.  An' look  at  them  socks!  Down  again!  Quill, 
pull  up  them  socks."  The  order  was  obeyed  in  silence. 
"  Now  come  back  here  an'  wash  that  dirty  mug  o'  3-ourn. 
I'll  boss  the  job,  I  guess,  myself.  Durn  it  all.  Quill,  ye  don't 
know  the  fust  principles  o'  washin'  yer  face.  Fill  that  basin 
with  water."  The  order  was  obeyed  with  reluctance.  "Now 
peel  off  the  kiver  of  that  cake  o'  soap."  This  operation  was 
performed  very  slowly.  Quill  now  fully  realized  that  this 
was  a  crisis  in  his  toilet  experiences,  the  like  of  which  had 
never  occurred  before.  He  glanced  at  PijDc's  face  in  mute 
appeal,  but  that  business-like  individual  was  inflexible.  "  Git 
ready.  Now  wen  I  says  soap^  you  rub  some  all  over  yer 
hands  an'  face.  If  they  hain't  enough  on,  I'll  keep  sayin'  soap 
till  there  is  enough.  Wen  I  say  lather^  you  rub  till  you 
make  shavin'  lather  all  over  yer  hands  an'  face,  and  pertick- 
ler  them  ears,  for  they  need  it  awful.  Ready!  Soap!" 
Reluctantly  the  cleansing  compound  was  applied  very  spar- 
ingly. "vSoap!"  again  fell  relentlessly  on  Quill's  ears.  Again 
soap  it  was,  but  Quill  had  never  seemed  more  economically 
inclined.  He  was  about  to  lay  down  the  bar,  ^preparatory  to 
the  second  step  in  the  operation.  The  odious  word  '■'■soap'''' 
was  heard  a  third  time,  accompanied  by  the  observation: 

«  It'll  take  a  heap  of  "it  to  git  through  that  crust." 

"  It's  gittin'  in  my  eyes." 

"'Twon't  hurt 'em.  Shut 'em.  They'll  feel  lots  better 
wen  you  git  it  out." 

This  time  the  slippery  compound   slid    into    unexplored 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  279 

spots  which  it  had  never  before  visited.  Pipe  was  satisfied, 
and  called  '•'•lather^  Quill  began  to  rub  his  foce  in  a  care- 
less, streaky  sort  of  way.  "  Don't  fool,  rub  hard,  an'  make  it 
froth."  Quill  rubbed  and  winced,  and  catching  his  breath 
got  some  soapsuds  in  his  mouth  that  nearly  strangled  him, 
but  the  only  reply  to  all  his  distress  was,  "  Chip  in  's  if  ye 
meant  business.  Rub  hai'd  an'  none  o'  your  monkeyin'." 
After  more  friction  and  a  great  deal  of  coughing  and  making 
of  faces  on  the  part  of  Quill,  Pipe  called,  "  Rench  it  off  now." 
Quill  was  only  too  glad  to  "  rench  "  it  off,  and  the  rinsing 
process  revealed  a  face  which  shone  under  the  combined 
effects  of  soap  and  friction  like  a  boiled  lobster. 

"Now  wipe  her  off,  and  yer  all  O  K.  Humph!  yer 
mother  wouldn't  know  ye.  Ye  wouldn't  know  yerself  fur  that 
matter,  if  ye  met  yerself  in  a  strange  alley.  This  yer  is 
only  a  kind  of  first  base.  If  I  ever  ketch  you  round  here 
scarin'  away  customers  agin  with  yer  dirty  face,  we'll  make 
a  home  run  on  the  soap  an'  water  business.  Now  git  in  the 
stuff  from  the  sidewalk,"  saying  which,  Mr.  Pipe  Malley 
proceeded  to  reckon  up  the  day's  receipts. 

Befoi-e  going  home,  the  twins  usually  strolled  some  dis- 
tance along  the  Bowery  diverting  themselves,  as  a  means  of 
relaxation  from  the  cares  of  business,  with  the  varied  sights 
to  be  witnessed  there  at  night.  As  Broadway  represents  the 
respectable  and  commercial  elements  of  the  metropolis,  so  the 
Bowery  represents  the  lower  and  more  numerous  elements  of 
the  social  organization.  Broadway  surges  with  a  living  tide 
all  day.  At  night  the  Bowery,  brilliantly  lighted,  is  thronged 
with  people.  The  retail  shops  are  open,  concert  saloons, 
cheap  places  of  amusement,  restaurants,  oyster  houses,  fruit 
stands,  and  sidewalk  merchants  all  have  their  patrons. 
Thousands  of  people  are  in  the  street,  consisting  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  that  region,  sti^angers  seeing  New  York,  clerks, 
gamblers,  harlots,  thieves,  sailors,  boot-blacks,  and  a  miscel- 
lany hard  to  classify.  For  the  student  of  human  nature  it  is 
a  rich  field.  Here  is  a  man  who  sells  nothing  but  oysters, 
raw  or  roasted,  another  who  deals  exclusively  in  boiled  green 
corn  with  pepper  and  salt,  and  by  his  side,  a  merchant  who 
vends  nothing  but  combs.  Here  is  a  retail  store  with  customers 
coming  and  going,  by  its  side  is  a  saloon  ablaze  with  light, 
and  the  liveliest  tunes  of  music  going  incessantly.  Many  a 
young  man  enters  its  doors  carelessl}'^  and  takes  a  glass  of  beer. 
Next  time,  perhaps,  he  has  a  taste  for  the  beverage,  on  the 


28o  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

third  visit  he  may  consume  several  glasses  along  with  hilari- 
ous friends,  and  the  appetite  rapidly  grows.  This  young  man 
may  be  separated  only  ten  or  twenty  years  from  the  trembling, 
besotted  old  tramp,  who  begs  in  rags  for  a  nickel,  under  pre- 
tense of  hunger,  only  to  spend  it  in  drink. 

Here  too,  is  the  young  man  from  the  countr}'^,  perhaps  not 
so  very  young,  who  is  bent  on  seeing  the  sights  since  he  is 
away  from  the  restrictions  of  home.  He  is  lucky  if  he  does 
not  end  by  being  drugged  and  robbed  or  murdered  in  some 
low  dive.  He  gets  into  trouble  because  he  goes  where 
trouble  is,  instead  of  going  to  a  respectable  place  of  amuse- 
ment, or  quietly  staying  in  his  hotel.  His  experience  is 
bought  very  dearly,  and  unfortunately  cannot  teach  his  neigh- 
bors by  its  example. 

Horace  Roker  sometimes  staid  down  town  with  one  or 
two  friends  instead  of  going  to  his  fashionable  boarding  house 
for  dinner.  On  such  occasions  the  party  had  various  means 
of  spending  the  evening.  Sometimes  they  strolled  along  the 
Bowery,  curiously  studying  the  motley  throng. 

Since  Roker  had  seen  Tom  Norwell  once  or  twice  in  the 
same  locality,  he  sometimes  strolled  there  himself.  On  the 
present  occasion,  he  had,  by  chance,  seen  Tom  leave  Pipe 
Malley  &  Co.'s  store.  He  carelessly  passed  the  place,  and 
observing  Quill  inside,  at  once  recognized  him. 

Wondering  at  this  sudden  rise  in  the  world  of  his  former 
acquaintance,  he  determined  to  use  him  again  in  discovering 
Tom's  motive  for  visiting  this  region.  Norwell  must  come 
here  with  a  purpose.  He  most  likely  visited  some  one,  and, 
natui-ally,  that  one  must  be  a  woman,  Roker  thought. 
Sauntering  around  the  block,  Roker  soon  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  the  boys  close  the  store  for  the  night.  Taking  the 
other  side  of  the  street,  he  crossed,  and  turning,  met  Quill, 
who  was  a  little  distance  behind.  Passing  them  he  beckoned 
Quill  to  stop,  as  Pipe  turned  into  the  Bowery  out  of  sight. 

"  I  want  you,"  Roker  said  sternly  to  Quill.  Roker  was 
thoroughly  skilled  in  reading  human  nature.  He  had  learned 
on  their  first  acquaintance,  that  it  was  very  easy  to  manage 
Quill  through  his  abject  cowardice,  and  general  want  of  self- 
assertive  qualities. 

« I  think  it  ain't  fiiir;  can't  you  let  up  on  a  feller?"  Quill 
had  a  lively  apprehension  that  R  oker  knew  all  about  his  trans- 
actions with  the  cannel  coal-yard,  or  similar  operatioi^s  at 
market  stalls. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  281 

"  I'll  not  be  very  hard  on  you  if  you  will  do  as  I  ask  you, 
and  never  lie  to  me." 

"  Mister,  I  never  lied  to  yer." 

*' You  and  your  brother  have  a  fruit  store?" 

«  Yes  sir." 

"Are  you  one  of  the  firm  ?  " 

"Wot?" 

"Are  you  a  partner?" 

"  No.  Pipe  says  I  must  work  onto  a  salary  of  three  dol- 
lars a  week  till  I  learns  the  biz.  Tain't  fair  though,  fur  I'm 
a  twin  same  as  he  is." 

"  Who  is  the  Company?" 

"  Wot  Company  ?  " 

"  Why  your  sign  reads  Pipe  Malley  &  Co." 

"  I  never  seed  any  company.  Guess  they  put  that  on  to 
fill  up  the  board." 

"  Mr.  Nor  well  stopped  at  your  place  to-night." 

"Who  said  he  didn't?" 

"What  did  he  want?" 

"Nothin'  partickler." 

"Next  time  lie  comes  find  out  where  he  goes." 

«  Wot's  it  worth,  Mr.  Rokcr?" 

"It  isn't  worth  anj^thing  in  particular,  but  then  I'll  make 
it  a  dollar." 

"  Say  Mister,  couldn't  you  make  it  two  dollars.  It's  a 
good  ways  up  to  the  Park,  an'  when  a  feller's  in  a  store" — 

"  You  little  scamp,"  said  Roker,  with  a  scowl  that  fright- 
ened Quill  as  he  observed  the  twitching  of  the  man's  scalp 
below  his  hard,  stiff  hat,  "  never  mention  two  dollars  to 
me  again,  or  I'll."  Vague  penalties  are  always  worse  in  antic- 
ipation than  those  more  specific  in  appeai'ance.  A  flogging 
is  usually  not  half  so  bad  as  the  thought  of  it.  So  Roker  in- 
voked the  aid  of  uncertainty  to  chastise  the  presumption  of 
the  twin,  whose  imagination  was  free  to  range  over  the  whole 
field  of  dire  possibilities,  "Same  place;  same  way  as  before. 
Mind  you  don't  forget." 

"  I  ain't  the  forgittin'  kind." 

Roker  sauntered  up  street  musing.  Knowing  Chetta 
Ingledee's  frank,  generous  disposition,  he  felt  sure  she  would 
never  forgive  deceit  in  a  lover.  If  Tom  Norwell  could  only 
be  detected  in  some  disreputable  love  affair,  especially  with 
some  one  far  beneath  him  in  social  standing,  he  felt  sure  that 
Chetta  would  scorn  him  even  if  it  tore  her  heartstrings.     She 


282  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

would  marry  an  icicle  without  a  spark  of  human  passion, 
rather  than  a  warm-hearted  man  who  had  grossly  outraged 
her  notions  of  propriety.  So  reasoned  Roker.  His  premises 
were  sound,  his  conclusion  logical,  but  love  is  above  logic. 


CHAPTER  XXVin. 

A    DISAGREEABLE     REVELATION. THE     FEASIBILITY    OF     A 

VILLA    ON     THE     HUDSON. 

Miss  Ingledee  counted  on  having  Tom  Norwell  for  an 
active  society  ally  as  he  always  had  been.  But  somehow 
Tom's  calls  grew  fewer  and  fewer.  He  did  not  seem  to  exhibit 
a  particle  of  enthusiasm  while  she  disclosed  her  j^lans  to  him 
as  her  contidential  adviser.  On  one  occasion  when  Miss 
Ingledee,  Miss  Harrie  Snicker  and  Tom  had  been  called  in 
council  over  a  proposed  opera  party,  Tom's  indifference 
amounted  almost  to  rudeness,  and  Chetta  plainly  told  him  so. 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  I  think  since  you  have  been  out  West 
among  those  savages  you  have  become  almost  a  savage 
yourself." 

"  I'm  not  dangerous,  at  any  rate,"  replied  Tom  laughing. 

*'  You  are  just  spoiled  entirely.     It's  too  bad." 

*'  I  think  it's  real  mean,"  pouted  Miss  Snicker.  "  To  think 
of  those  horrid  miners  who  never  come  above  ground  for 
years.  I  wish  they'd  stay  down  there  forever.  They  must 
be  dreadful  common." 

Tom  replied  that  the  Western  miner  was  by  no  means 
common  except  in  the  sense  of  abundant.  In  fact,  he  was  a 
most  uncommon  production  of  nature  and  well  worthy  a  de- 
scription by  the  naturalist. 

After  his  departure  Miss  Snicker  suggested  that  probably 
Tom  Norwell  lield  back  because  his  sister  could  not  afford  to 
dress  well  enough  to  enter  society.  For  her  part  she  thought 
people  who  couldn't  affoid  to  go  into  society  ought  to  keep 
out  of  it.  Beggars  shouldn't  try  to  hold  up  their  heads  with 
other  people.  "Other  people"  with  Miss  Snicker,  was 
synonymous  with  millionaires.  Chetta  had  a  more  plausible 
guess  which  she  kept  to  herself.  Tom  Norwell  was  to  her  a 
high-spirited,  sensitive  man  who,  now  that  he  was  poor,  would 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  283 

not  aspire  to  the  hand  of  an  heiress,  because  he  might  be 
charged  with  the  despicable  motive  of  fortune  •  hunting. 
Chetta  had  so  long  nourished  the  habit  of  regarding  Tom 
as  a  lover,  that  it  never  occurred  to  her  to  consider  him  in  any 
other  light,  though  he  had  never  spoken  directly  of  love.  If 
he  hesitated  he  must  be  encouraged.  Then  she  was  angry  at 
the  apparently  absurd  custom  which  renders  it  impossible  for 
a  woman  to  speak  her  love  first.  She  said  to  herself,  *' Here 
I  must  sit  like  a  painted  doll  in  a  toy  shop  to  be  admired  and 
perhaps  selected  by  some  man.  Any  marked  preference 
shown  by  me  to  a  gentleman  would  be  unwomanly.  I  hate 
such  stupid  customs." 

In  pursuance  of  her  plan  of  mild  encouragement  Tom 
was  invited  to  dinner.  Mr.  Ingledee  was  in  a  most  affable 
and  condescending  mood.  Evidently  there  was  no  objection 
on  his  part.  Silas  too,  had  consented  to  contribute  a  small 
portion  of  his  very  much  occupied  time  and  lend  his  presence 
to  the  occasion.  He  knew  how  to  be  a  gentleman.  He  was 
greatly  pleased  with  an  account  of  Tom's  Western  experi- 
ences and  in  turn  did  his  best  to  entertain.  It  was  evident 
that  Tom  Norwell  stood  well  with  the  Ingledees.  Pater- 
familias even  talked  almost  confidentially  concerning  some  of 
his  great  stock  operations,  though  doubtless  what  he  re- 
vealed was  of  small  moment  compared  with  what  he  kept 
back.  He  offered  to  supply  Tom  with  "  pointers  "  whenever 
he  chose  to  deal.  What  greater  mark  of  esteem  could  a  rail- 
way king  offer? 

After  Tom's  departure  Chetta  and  Silas  sat  idly  talking 
for  a  few  minutes  before  the  latter  started  to  fulfil  an  appoint- 
ment. Chetta  remarked  that  Tom  Norwell  seemed  changed 
of  late.  After  listening  to  details  for  some  time,  Silas  inter- 
rupted her: 

"  Chet,  don't  you  know  what  the  trouble  is.^" 

"No.      What  is  it?" 

"He's  got  another  girl." 

"  Oh,  of  course  every  young  gentleman  is  acquainted  with 
a  great  many  yovmg  ladies,"  said  Chetta,  trying  to  appear 
indifferent. 

"Quite  true,  sister;  but  they  are  better  acquainted  with 
some  than  with  others."  Silas  looked  at  his  watch,  rose,  and 
left  the  .room.  It  was  nearly  eleven  o'clock,  but  this  gay 
young  man  was  just  starting  out  to  begin  the  evening. 

Chetta  sat  alone  for  some  time  in  profound  thought.     The 


284  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

brilliant  glare  of  the  gaslight  struggled  through  the  rare  lace 
curtains  and  closed  blinds  of  the  deep  plate-glass  windows, 
or  lost  its  aggressive  whiteness  as  it  softened  down  amid  the 
intricate  patterns  of  the  rich  gold  paper  on  the  wall,  or  the 
many-hued  tints  of  the  frescoes  on  the  ceiling.  Indulging  its 
strange  propensities,  this  unnatural  offspring  of  sunlight 
played  strange  freaks  with  the  colors,  so  that  green  could 
scarcely  be  distinguished  from  blue,  or  yellow  from  orange. 
A  costly  French  clock  on  the  mantel  shelf,  resplendent  in 
gold  and  ebony,  ticked  in  low,  musical  tones  that  seemed  like 
the  echoing  notes  of  a  hidden  fairy.  Still  the  girl  sat  on  a 
low  chair  with  her  head  on  her  hand  thinking.  Tiie  flood  of 
gaslight  poured  through  the  wide  doors  in  the  hallway.  It 
flickered  on  the  polished  surfaces  of  the  statuary  and  bronzes 
and  the  yellow  marble  posts  that  ended  the  balustrade,  and 
crept  up  the  smooth  marble  hand  rail,  d)  ing  away  like  the 
vanishing  trail  of  a  distant  meteor.  Still  the  girl  sat,  wrapped 
in  thought.  The  sweet  music  of  the  clock  striking  eleven 
failed  to  arouse  her.  Carriages  passed  returning  from  theaters, 
but  she  did  not  hear  them.  A  portrait  of  her  mother  looked 
from  a  massive  gold  frame.  It  was  very  like  the  daughter, 
except  that  the  lady  was  older  and  had  a  thoughtful  expres- 
sion, as  if  the  original  had  never  found  complete  happiness  in 
life.  Now  the  face  almost  seemed  to  assume  a  quickened,  ap- 
prehensive interest,  as  if  the  disembodied  spirit  looked  out  of 
the  canvas  in  thoughtful  solicitude  for  that  child,  who  was  un- 
conscious of  her  presence.  A  shade  it  must  have  been,  intang- 
ible to  any  human  sense,  if  indeed  the  departed  ever  revisit  us 
except  as  a  dim  stirring  of  our  memory. 

The  watchman  was  heard  going  his  rounds  trying  the 
doors  to  see  if  they  were  securely  fastened.  But  Chetta 
Ingledee  did  not  hear  him.  It  apparently  devolved  on  the 
flooding  light  to  arouse  her,  since  the  carriages,  the  clock, 
and  the  heavy  tramping  of  the  watchman  had  successively 
failed.  The  streaming  light  seemed  to  redouble  its  brilliancy 
as  it  often  does  when  we  all  at  once  become  conscious  of  its 
presence.  The  rushing  jets  leaped  in  a  dizzy  whirl  from  the 
tiny  orifices  as  they  strove  to  escape  fast  enough.  The  flood 
of  light  rippled  over  the  fair  neck  and  got  tangled  and  lost  in 
the  dark  masses  of  hair.  It  tried  again  and  outdid  all  pre- 
vious efforts  with  no  success.  The  gold  on  the  picture  frames, 
on  the  gasaliers,  on  the  clock — indeed,  there  was  gold  pretty 
much  everywhere — sparkled  with  dazzling  magnificence  un- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  285 

der  the  blinding  profusion  of  light.  It  was  all  in  vain.  This 
woman  had  no  eye  for  gold.  For  the  first  time  in  her  life 
she  wanted  something  gold  cannot  buy — love.  Her  beauti- 
ful dream  so  long  indulged,  was  rudely  dispelled  by  a  sudden 
awakening.  As  she  sat  there,  trying  to  think  in  an  incoher- 
ent way,  vainly  attempting  to  restore  its  fragments  to  shape- 
liness, this  heiress  of  millions  was  no  more  potent  over  cir- 
cumstances than  the  country  girl  in  the  calico  gown,  who  by 
the  light  of  a  dingy  oil  lamp  ponders  the  sad  fact  that  her 
lover  is  untrue.     Both  are  simply  women. 

Carriages  passed  with  increasing  frequency,  but  they 
failed  to  arouse  this  lonely  woman  sitting  amid  Fifth  Avenue 
splendors,  oblivious  to  everything  except  the  danger  of  losing 
her  lover.  It  was  now  the  turn  of  the  clock  to  make  another 
effort  to  recall  its  mistress  to  the  fact  that  time  runs  forever 
the  same,  whether  its  course  is  by  the  bier  or  the  bridal  altar. 
The  efforts  of  this  silvery-toned  clock  were  about  as  absurd 
as  would  be  the  attempt  of  the  canary  to  usurp  the  place  of 
chanticleer  and  try  to  wake  the  family  by  crowing.  The  clock 
braced  up  to  its  work  with  a  great  deal  of  business-like  bustle, 
such  as  is  displayed  by  a  little  man  unconscious  of  inferiority, 
and  hammered  out  the  hour  of  twelve,  prolonging  and  em- 
phasizing the  job  as  much  as  possible.  The  last  stroke  seemed 
to  say,  "  See  there  now!  I've  done  it!  "  The  girl  raised  her 
head  greatly  to  the  surprise  of  the  clock,  which  now  reflected 
back  the  rays  of  light  from  the  gas  jets  with  contemptuous 
indifference,  and  took  all  the  credit  to  itself,  after  the  fashion 
of  the  aforesaid  little  man  (small  either  physically  or  men- 
tally) whose  every  action  is  continually  saying,  "  There  now, 
if  you'll  allow  me,  I  did  that." 

"  Can  he  be  so  base?  No,  I'll  not  reproach  him,  for  he 
has  made  no  vows.  Can  he  be  so  blind  as  not  to  see  I  love 
him  ?  No,  Tom  is  not  stupid.  Some  woman,"  she  said,  with 
sudden  energy,  "  has  won  him  by  her  wiles.  .  Who  is  it  that 
presumes  to  cut  asunder  two  lives  of  love?"  Then,  with  an 
impulsive  vehemence,  she  went  on,  "  I'll  not  give  him  up.  He 
has  always  been  mine.  What  is  life  without  him?  He  shall 
yet  be  mine,  in  spite  of  her."  Chetta  disappeared  up  the 
broad  stairway,  and  a  servant,  with  noiseless  tread,  extin- 
guished the  lights  in  the  parlors,  and  the  great  house  sheltered 
another  disappointment. 

The  Norwells  lived  in  a  snug  little  flat  of  five  or  six  rooms, 
in  a  genteel  street  well  up   town.     On  this  same  evening  a 


286  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

very  different  scene  took  place  in  their  cosy  little  parlor. 
May  Bryce  had  come  to  town  to  spend  a  few  weeks.  Tom 
announced  at  lunch  that  he  should  not  be  home  to  dinner. 
The  women  after  dinner  sat  chatting  pleasantly.  They  were 
already  well  acquainted,  and  treated  each  other  almost  like  sis- 
ters. This  secretly  pleased  Tom.  He  could  never  quite  for- 
give Alice  because  she  had  taken  a  dislike  to  Chetta  Ingledee, 
at  a  time  when  the  sister  thought  her  brother's  intentions  in 
that  direction  were  serious.  On  this  one  point  Alice  Norwell 
had  held  notions  somewhat  "at  variance  with  her  established 
reputation  for  possessing  an  extra  amount  of  common  sense. 
But  then  it  would  joerhaps  be  asking  too  much  of  the  sex  to 
hope  that  one  woman  might  be  entirely  indifferent  when  the 
job  in  hand  is  the  marrying  off  of  another  woman,  particu- 
larly when  woman  number  two  is  about  to  marry  a  relative 
of  woman  number  one.  As  yet  Alice,  of  course,  knew  noth- 
ing about  the  relations  existing  between  her  brother  and  her 
guest.  To  suppose  she  had  no  opinions  on  the  subject  would 
be  contrary  to  reason..  May  was  assiduously  cultivating  the 
good  graces  of  this  wise  young  lady,  who  might  make  an  ex- 
cellent sister-in-law  or  a  very  distant  relation  by  marriage,  as 
the  case  might  be. 

"  Miss  Norwell,  I  wish  you  could  come  out  West  next 
summer  and  visit  us." 

"  I  should  be  delighted  to  do  so.  I  have  never  seen  the 
prairies.  It  must  be  worth  a  journey  of  a  thousand  miles  just 
to  see  them." 

"  Yes,  they're  very  pretty  in  the  spring,  but  we  don't  think 
much  of  them." 

"  That  is  so  strange.  I  could  live  there  always,  I  think. 
The  broad  landscape  must  look  charming  when  everything  is 
green  and  blooming." 

"The  country  itself  is  pretty  enough,  but  the  people  are 
not  so  interesting  as  in  the  city.  They  are  not  so  intelligent, 
and  have  to  talk  mostly  about  the  crops  and  the  stock." 

"  City  people  are  not  all  intelligent.  May." 

«  Oh,  I  know  that,  but  many  of  them  are,  and  one  can 
choose,  you  know." 

Then  she  thought  of  her  own  choice,  and  was  very  happy 
that  her  ideal  hero  had  come,  and  had  not  only  come  but  in- 
tended to  marry  her. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  Mr.  Fred  Snicker?" 

"  Which,  that  fragile  gentleman  with  the  little  turn-up 
nose?" 


AN    IRON    CROWN  287 

"  The  same.  He  ought  to  be  labeled,  '  Don't  crush,'  as 
wholesale  milliners  mark  their  packages." 

"  He's  very  polite.  I  don't  think  he  could  be  very  bad  if 
he  tried.  But  then  I've  noticed  everybody  is  polite  in  the 
city." 

"  Yes,  to  your  face." 

"  Do  these  polite  people  talk  about  you  behind  your  back? 
I  thought  it  was  onl}'  ill-bred,  ignorant  people  who  did  that." 

"  Some  of  them  do.  Fine  clothes  and  fine  manners  never 
changed  human  nature  much."  May's  nature  was  so  tender 
that  she  would  not  intentionally  hurt  the  feelings  of  any  one; 
she  could  not  understand  how  others  could  do  so,  hence  her 
trust  in  human  nature  was  equal  to  her  own  kindness  of  heart. 
She  was  surprised  at  Alice's  cold,  matter  of  fiict  reply. 

"  Why,  how  can  they  ?" 

"  Oh,  backbiting  comes  natural  to  some  people.  But  Fred 
Snicker  said  a  very  pretty  thing  about  you  the  other  evening. 
Shall  I  tell  you  ?"  May  blushed,  and  waited  with  pleased  ex- 
pectation to  hear  the  pretty  thing.  Compliments  well  turned 
are  always  agreeable,  and  flattery  is  a  sweet  incense  to  the 
god  Vanity.  All  of  us  have  some  time  bowed  at  his  shrine, 
only  for  some  of  us,  his  ofiiciating  priest  must  be  a  person  of 
wonderful  parts. 

"  I  overheard  him  say  to  a  gentleman  friend,  '  That 
Pvvayweh  Floweh  is  a  deuced  pwetty  bud.'"  Alice  imitated 
young  Snicker's  tone  and  manner  so  perfectly  that  her  friend 
was  convulsed  with  laughter.     Recovering,  she  said: 

"  What  a  silly  fellow  he  is."  The  god  Vanity  had  found 
another  secret  worshiper,  for  May  was  not  displeased  with  the 
poetical  appellation  thus  bestowed  upon  her  by  an  effusive 
admirer.  Just  then  Tom  came  home.  He  had  excused  him- 
self from  Ingledee's  at  the  earliest  moment  consistent  with 
good  breeding.  Alice  owed  a  call  to  a  neighbor  in  an  ad- 
joining flat  who  was  very  sick.  She  suddenly  remembered 
that  she  had  not  visited  the  woman  all  day.  Perhaps  there 
was  something  she  might  be  able  to  do,  and  as  it  was  not  yet 
late,  she  excused  herself  for  a  few  minutes  and  called  on  the 
sick  woman. 

May  was  supremely  happy  when  Tom  was  present.  The 
last  few  weeks  had  been  the  happiest  moments  of  her  life, 
though  she  had  never  known  a  sorrow  or  care.  Was  not  this 
incomparable  specimen  of  inanhood  all  her  own  to  have  and 
keep  till  death  parted  them  ?     She  was  one  of  the  most  for- 


288  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

tunate  of  women.  Her  letters  to  her  parents  overflowed  with 
exuberance  of  joy.  Far  different  were  her  feelings  from  those 
of  the  lone  woman  in  the  splendid  parlor  on  Fifth  avenue. 
This  one  sat  in  the  full  noontide  of  hope,  that  in  the  uncertain 
twilight  of  threatened  disaster.  And  what  a  difference  in  the 
women!  The  fair-haired  woman  before  us  is  full  of  trust  and 
tender  helplessness  that  ever  leans  on  others.  She  is  tender 
and  true,  but  not  bold  to  stand  forth  and  push  her  claims  to  a 
successful  issue.  Keenly  sensitive  to  wrong,  and  resenting  it, 
but  unable  in  childish  ignorance  of  human  nature  to  wield 
skillfully  the  weapons  of  self-defense.  The  other,  the  dark- 
haired  woman,  is  frank,  generous  and  loving.  But  her  bold, 
impetuous  nature  will  brook  no  interference.  'She  is  quick  to 
perceive  wrong  and  able  to  redress  it.  Naturally  magnani- 
mous, she  is  capable  of  quick  retaliation  on  a  foe  whom  she 
imagines  may  have  taken  ^  base  advantage  of  her.  Forgiv- 
ing to  the  vanquished,  she  has  no  mercy  for  the  adversary 
in  arms. 

May  Bryce's  love  was  of  the  perfect  kind  that  sees  nothing 
lacking  in  the  beloved  one.  For  Tom  Norwell  she  lived,  and 
all  other  considerations  of  life  were  secondary  to  her  love  for 
him.  In  her  inexperience  and  perfect  trust  she  thought  his  love 
must  be  like  her  own  except  possibly  that,  having  other  in- 
terests to  look  after,  a  man's  mind  must  occasionally  be 
diverted  from  the  main  object  of  life,  which  for  her  was  to 
love.  When  left  alone  the  lovers  would  naturally  be  ex- 
pected to  become  more  communicative  and  confidential.  But 
to-night  the  polarity  of  love  was  unbalanced,  for  May  did 
most  of  the  talking.  Norwell  seemed  rather  thoughtful  and 
absent-minded.  In  truth,  his  visit  to  the  Ingledees  had  set  him 
to  thinking.  He  had  been  off  with  the  old  love,  and  on  with 
the  new  rather  suddenly.  It  occurred  to  him  that  perhaps  a 
trifle  less  haste  might  have  been  better.  He  was  not  conscious 
of  any  unfair  dealing,  nor  did  his  second  thought  rate  less 
highly  the  worth  of  the  tender  woman  at  his  side,  but  Chetta 
Ingledee  had  been  a  life-long,  loyal  friend.  She  had  been  a 
friend,  such  as  few  men  have  the  good  fortune  to  appropriate 
so  thoroughly  as  he  had  appropriated  her.  Had  he  made  a 
proper  return?  She  could  find  no  fault  if  he  chose  another, 
still  he  lacked  the  courage  to  let  her  know  how  matters  now 
stood  with  him.  This  cowardice  suggested  a  middle  course 
which  was  really  most  dangerous.  His  engagement  with 
May  must  remain  a  secret,  while  he  would  still  associate  as  a 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  389 

friend  with  a  woman  who  had  a  right  to  expect  that  further 
intimacy  would  end  in  a  declaration  of  love.  May  found  the 
conversation  lagging  in  spite  of  her  best  efforts.  Finally  she 
asked  Tom  why  he  was  so  solemn. 

"  I'm  not  solemn.  A  person  would  not  look  well  always 
laughing  and  trjung  to  be  funny." 

"  Yes,  but  you  are  dreadful  poky  to-night.  You  are  not 
a  bit  like  what  you  were  when  you  visited  us  in  Illinois." 

"  Then  I  was  on  a  vacation  and  had  laid  in  an  extra  sup- 
ply of  jokes.  My  wit  was  all  bottled  under  pressure  and 
ready  to  fizz  as  soon  as  the  cork  was  drawn.  I  had  a  full 
assortment  of  laughs  and  smiles  of  all  sizes  and  shades." 

"And  don't_  you  keep  good  humor  constantly  in  stock, 
you  base  deceiver?" 

"  No,  the  assortment  must  get  low  sometimes.  It's  bound 
to.  But  you  are  jolly  enough  to-night  for  both  of  us,  little 
girl,"  said  Tom  quietly,  placing  his  hand  over  hers.  "What 
did  you  see  to-day?" 

"Alice  and  I  went  shopping.  What  lots  of  fine  things 
they  do  have  in  the  stores.  It's  better  than  any  show  to  see 
them." 

"  Better  than  Barnum's? " 

"  You  teasing  thing.  You  know  what  I  meant.  I  mean 
those  things  in  the  shops  are  sopretty  that  I  want  to  buy  them 
all  if  I  could." 

"  May,  you  are  learning  the  ways  of  a  city  woman  very  fast.'* 

"  Oh,  but  I  didn't  buy  anything  expensive,  though  my 
aunt  made  me  a  present  of  a  fifty  dollar  bill  just  before  I 
started.  I'm  trying  to  be  economical,  because  you  see  I'm 
going  to  be  the  wife  of  a  poor  man,  and  must  wait  till  he 
makes  enough  money  to  man-y." 

"  He'll  no  longer  be  poor  when  he  gets  you,  little  girl. 
You  are  worth  your  weight" 

"  To'm,  don't  be  foolish.  I'm  not  worth  my  weight  in 
gold  at  all,  and  you  know  it.  I'm  only  just  a  woman  who 
will  need  so  much  to  eat  and  so  much  to  wear  every  day,  and 
— and  I'm  afraid  I  can't  do  much  to  earn  it,  either.  I  could 
in  the  country,  but  the  city  is  so  strange  I  can't  understand  it 
at  all.     Tom,  w^here  do  city  people  get  so  much  money?" 

"  Some  of  them  inherit  it,  some  make  it,  some  cheat  others 
out  of  it." 

"  It's  so  queer  to  see  everybody  paying  money  for  every- 
thing." 

19 


290  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"They  wouldn't  get  things  if  they  didn't  pay." 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  like  the  city  a  hit.  I  wish  we 
could  have  a  pretty  place  up  the  Hudson."  Tom  opened  his 
eyes  very  wide.  "  One  of  those  queer  cottages  with  corners 
all  over  them  wouldn't  cost  much,  would  it?" 

"  Oh,  a  mere  trifle.  When  we  are  millionaires  we  shall 
have  such  a  place.  May." 

"  Why,  they  don't  look  as  if  they  would  cost  much." 

"But  they  cost  a  mint,  just  the  same,  with  an  estab- 
lishment." 

"  Then  let's  leave  the  hateful  old  city,  Tom,  and  go  to 
the  country  where  we  can  be  all  to  ourselves  and  be  happy 
on  a  little." 

"  Is  ourselves  synonymous  with  little  ?" 

« Now  if  that's  the  sort  of  jokes  you  keep  sorted  and 
ready  for  emergencies,  Tom,  please  let  the  stock  get  low. 
But  don't  you  know, — I  am  thinking  all  the  time  of  where 
we  shall  live.  Aren't  you?"  This  question  rather  startled 
him.  Then  she  was  thinking  daily,  hourly  of  their  future 
life,  while  he  had  considered  it  yet  too  far  off  to  deserve 
any  special  thought  at  all.  The  contrast  jarred  disagreeably 
on  him,  for  he  was  no  slow-witted  man  who  had  neglected 
this  subject  for  want  of  appreciation.  He  tried  to  turn  the 
subject  without  letting  her  discover  the  real  state  of  his 
feelings. 

"  So  in  your  frequent  cogitations  you  evolved  the  villa  on 
the  Hudson,  eh  ?" 

"  I  think  it's  not  fair  for  you  to  be  poking  fun  at  me,"  she 
replied,  with  a  pout  of  her  red  lips.  Just  then  Alice  entered, 
and  the  conversation  took  a  new  turn. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

TWO      YOUNG     LADIES      BECOME     ACQUAINTED     WHOSE      HIS- 
TORY IS    HEREAFTER    CONNECTED    IN    MOST    IMPORTANT 

EVENTS. MR.       QUILI.     MALLEY     TRANSACTS     FURTHER 

BUSINESS    WITH      MR.    HORACE     ROKER,    AND     THE     LAT- 
TER   BECOMES    CONFIDENTIAL    WITH    MR.    INGLEDEE. 

A  few  days  later,  on  a  sunny  afternoon,  Tom  Norwell, 
his  sister  Alice,  and  May  Bryce  determined  to  attend  a  mat- 
inee performance  at  one  of  the  theatres,  where  a  foreign 
actress  of  world-wide  reputation  was  playing'  an  engagement. 
As  it  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  the  distance  not  great,  the 
party  concluded  to  start  early  and  walk.  Sauntering  past  a 
florist's  shop  in  Union  Square,  Norwell  suddenly  conceived 
the  notion  of  buying  some  flowers.  The  three  entered  tlie 
shop  for  that  purpose.  To  their  surprise,  the  Norwells  recog- 
nized there  an  old  friend.  The  well-dressed  lady  standing  at 
the  counter  waiting  to  be  served,  proved  to  be  Miss  Ingledee. 
She  greeted  the  Norwells,  and  paused  as  she  saw  thei^e  was  a 
stranger  with  them.  Her  manner  indicated  that  she  expected 
an  introduction  as  she  glanced  at  May  Bryce.  Norwell  did 
not  seem  in  any  hurry  to  take  the  hint  till  he  saw  plainly 
that  it  was  expected,  then  he  said  with  a  careless,  easy  grace: 

"  Miss  Ingledee,  allow  me  to  present  Aliss  Bryce;  a  friend 
visiting  my  sister,"  he  added,  by  way  of  explanation. 

Chetta  Ingledee  greeted  this  strange  lady  with  perhaps  a 
trifle  more  reserve  than  was  her  wont.  Slie  scrutinized  May 
for  some  seconds,  as  if  taking  a  rapid  mental  inventory  of  the 
girl's  make-up,  then  recollecting  that  such  conduct  bordered 
on  rudeness,  she  said  pleasantly: 

"Your  first  visit  to  the  city,  Miss  Bryce?" 

May  answered  "  Yes,"  a  little  surprised  that  everybody 
should  at  once  take  it  for  granted  that  she  was  from  the 
country.  She  scarcely  comprehended  that  she  lacked  the 
urban  manner  which  is  only  acquired  by  long  residence  in  a 
city.     As  the  two  shop  girls  were  busy  with  customers,  and 

(291) 


292  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

the  later  arrivals  would  have  to  wait  a  few  minutes,  they  all 
took  scats  and  entered  into  conversation.  Miss  Ingledec's  eye 
continually  wandered  to  JSIay,  and  dwelt  there  as  long  as 
good  breeding  would  allow.  To  her  this  delicate-complex- 
ioned  country  girl  was  a  sul^ject  of  great  interest.  Perhaps 
this  was  the  lady  whom  Silas  had  referred  to  by  the  indefinite 
term,  "  another  girl."  She  furtively  watched  Tom  Norwell, 
but  he  betrayed  no  unusual  interest  in  Miss  Bryce.  He 
seemed  in  a  good  humor,  and  talked  a  great  deal  about  the 
foreign  actress  whose  name  was  then  in  everybody's  mouth. 
Meanwhile  he  industriously  traced  figures  with  his  cane  on 
the  tiles  of  the  floor.  The  women  did  not  seem  to  maintain 
a  pro  rata  share  of  the  conversation,  seeing  they  were  in  a 
majority  of  three  to  one. 

"How  do  you  like  New  York,  Miss  Bryce?"  said  Chetta. 

"I'm  delighted  with  it  so  far.  There's  something  new  to 
be  seen  every  day." 

"  I  dare  say,"  was  the  reply  in  a  non-committal  tone  that 
might  have  conveyed  either  of  two  very  different  ideas;  first, 
that  any  person,  if  so  disposed,  might  see  something  new  in 
New  York  every  day;  second,  that  only  a  very  unsophisti- 
cated person  could  discover  anything  new  for  any  continued 
period  of  time.  On  the  hypothesis  tliat  language  was  made 
to  conceal  ideas,  this  little  remark  was  a  great  conversational 
success. 

The  flowers  were  finally  purchased,  and  as  the  party  were 
separating,  Chetta  invited  Alice  Norweil  and  Miss  Bryce  to 
call,  adding,  however,  that  she  believed  Miss  Norwell  already 
owed  her  a  call.  Alice  Norwell  excused  herself  by  means  of 
one  of  those  pleasant  little  fictions  which  ladies  know  how  to 
contrive  for  such  occasions,  and  which  the  recipient  knows 
perfectly  well  how  to  value  at  its  true  worth,  and  hoped  slie 
could  find  it  convenient  soon  to  repay  the  outstanding 
obligation. 

As  Tom  Norwell  passed  out  of  the  door,  leading  the  party 
of  three  ladies,  Mr.  Quill  Malley  happened  along,  carrying 
a  large  basket.  In  the  absence  of  a  delivery  wagon.  Quill 
was  obliged  to  carry  fruit  to  a  few  regular  customers.  This 
employment  abstracted  his  attention  for  the  time  being,  from 
the  figs,  and  thus  in  addition  to  the  advantages  derived  from 
active  exercise,  gave  his  digestive  organs  a  brief  interval  of 
rest.  Pipe,  with  a  practical  view  of  business,  in  which  Quill 
scarcely  coincided,  called  this  "  learning   the   business."     "Ye 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  293 

got  to  learn  the  business,  Quill,  afore  ye  kin  be  a  partner.     I 
don't  take  in  no   green   partners." 

That  evening  early  Quill  had  a  delivery  to  make  well  up 
town  and  it  occurred  to  him  that  by  j^retending  to  protract  the 
business  as  much  as  possible  he  might  have  time  to  call  on 
Mr.  Roker.  "  It  hain't  nothin',  his  goin'  with  my  Sunday 
school  teacher,"  mused  Quill,  "  fur  he's  always  doin'  that, 
but  mebbe  that  strange  gal  with  yaller  hair  may  he  a  piece  of 
news  for  that  rooster  with  the  loose  forrid.  I'll  work  him 
fur  a  dollar,  if  the  news  a/;?'/  no  count." 

Revolving  in  his  mind  the  thrifty  determination  "to  work 
the  rooster  with  the  loose  forrid  for  a  dollar,"  Quill  Malle}' 
found  himself  entering  Blank  street  just  as  Mr.  Horace 
Roker  emerged  from  his  fashionable  and  very  select  board- 
ing house.  That  gentleman  was  starting  out  for  his  even- 
ing stroll,  which  usually  brought  him  to  the  Argosy  Club  or 
to  some  other  genteel  resort  when  he  had  no  special  engage- 
ment. Roker  was  faultlessly  dressed.  His  dark-colored, 
cutaway,  frock  coat  fitted  his  handsome  form  without  a 
wrinkle,  almost  as  smoothly  as  a  mole  skin  on  the  back  of 
its  plump  little  owner.  His  large  gloss;y  cuffs  showed  prom- 
inently below  the  sleeves  of  his  coat.  His  cuff  buttons  con- 
sisted of  a  single  alligator's  tooth  of  exquisite  polish  set  in 
plain  gold.  They  had  been  presented  by  a  friend  who  spent 
his  winters  in  Florida.  Roker's  collar  was  immaculate. 
His  flowered  silk  tie  was  a  dainty  product  of  high  art  in  the 
furnishing  goods  line.  His  boots  exhibited  the  perfection  of 
the  polishing  art.  He  carried  a  twisted  cane  and  was  just 
lighting  a  choice  Havana  cigar.  As  he  brought  the  match 
toward  his  mouth  the  smoothness  of  his  spotless  cuffs  seemed 
in  keeping  with  the  smoothness  of  his  well-shaven  face  and 
pale  complexion.  The  glistening  alligator's  tooth  scarcely 
excelled  in  whiteness  the  regular,  clean  teeth  of  the  exceed- 
ingly well-kept  mouth.  Somehow  one  almost  expected  that 
the  proximity  of  this  glistening  ivory  would  provoke  a  bel- 
ligerent showing  of  the  other  teeth  such  as  occurs  when  there 
is  a  difference  of  opinion  between  the  family  cat  and  the  dog. 
There  seem.ed,  however,  to  be  a  perfect  amity  between  them, 
and  as  the  bloodless,  nervous  lips  opened  to  receive  the  ' 
fragrant  weed  they  wore  an  expression  of  self-complacency, 
which  was  the  nearest  they  ever  approached  to  a  genuine 
smile. 

Quill  Malley  instinctively  admitted  that  this   fine-looking 


294    •     '  ■^'^    IRON    CROWN. 

bir)ccl  whom  he  had  irreverently  dubbed  a  rooster,  must  be  a 

gsme  cock    if   anything.     Quill   would    probably    not     have 

^  been  surprised  to  have  discovered  a  sharp  spur  concealed  un- 

.^  der  the  well-fitting  broadcloth  pantaloons.     He    shrank  back 

'    and   hesitated    to   state  his  business,  for    he  was    thoroughly 

afraid  of   Roker.     The  latter  turned  into  a  narrow  little  side 

street  and  beckoned   Quill  to   follow.     Once   out   of  sight   of 

the  open  street,  he  began : 

"  What  are  you  hanging  around  here  for?" 

"  Got  sumthin'  to  tell  you,"  replied  Quill,  keeping  a  dis- 
tance of  a  few  feet. 

"  Then  why  don't  you  tell  it?" 

"  I  seen  Mr.  Norwell  this  afternoon.  He's  sweet  on  three 
girls." 

"Is  that  all?" 

"  Mebbe   he  ain't  sweet  on  but  two  of  'em.     I  dunno." 

"What  are  they  like?" 

"  One's  my  Sunday  school  teacher,  Miss  Ingledee." 

"  Do  you  think  that  amounts  to  anything?"  said  Roker, 
with  a  savage  growl  that  made  Quill  start. 

"  Can't  you  let  a  feller  git  done?  Another's  tall  an'  has 
brown  hair,  an'  brown  eyes  that  sjoarkles,  an'  looks  right 
into  a  feller,  an    hain't  no  foolishness  about  her." 

"Humph!  that's  Norwell's  sister." 

"  Tother  un's  not  quite  so  tall  an'  has  yaller  hair  an'  rosy 
cheeks.  Blame  me,  if  she  ain't  as  purty  as  a  nactress  in  a 
winder." 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  him  with  any  woman  alone  down 
town  anywhere?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"  If  you  see  him  with  anybody — any  woman — watch 
where  he  goes,  and  let  me  know."  Then  Mr,  Roker  cut  the 
interview  short  by  throwing  Quill  a  dollar,  and  remarking: 
"  Now  go,"  sauntered  toward  Broadway. 

At  the  Argosy  Club  members  were  coming  and  going  as 
usual.  Some  read,  a  few  wrote,  others  lounged  in  easy 
chairs  in  groups  smoking  and  talking  politics,  the  markets,  or 
current  events.  Among  others  might  be  seen  Tom  Nor- 
well and  Silas  Ingledee  puffing  away  lazily  at  irregular  in- 
tervals. These  gentlemen  were  seldom  seen  together,  al- 
though the  former  had  at  all  times  been  so  friendly  with  the 
family  of  the  latter.  They  really  had  nothing  in  common. 
Norwell   ha<l  a  de«p-seated  disgust  toward  the  dissipations 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  395 

and  fast  amusements  pursued  by  young  Ingledee  and  his  set. 
He  had  no  patience  with  the  man,  but  had  his  own  reasons 
for  keeping  up  at  least  the  appearance  of  friendship.  Silas 
began  to  show  the  effects  of  his  dissipation.  Wine,  late 
hours,  late  suppers  and  other  excesses  had  begun  to  tell  on 
this  young  man,  who  was  not  yet  twenty-three.  His  habits 
were  rapidly  sapping  his  nervous  vitality. 

Mr.  Ingledee  had  attempted  in  vain  to  stay  Silas  in  that 
wild  career  which  could  have  but  one  ending — inevitable 
ruin.  With  anguish,  which  words  may  not  describe,  the 
father  saw  his  son  and  only  hope  sink  day  by  day  into  that 
loathsome  gulf  whence  the  bravest  and  strongest  may  never 
hope  to  climb  to  the  full  height  of  purity.  This  insolent 
money  king,  who  was  almost  the  arbiter  of  finances  and 
commerce  for  those  unfortunate  sections  of  the  country  where 
his  railroads  had  no  rivals,  had  at  last  met  a  foe  who  proved 
more  than  his  match.  Sin  snatched  his  cherished  boy,  his 
most  precious  possession,  compared  with  which  all  the  rest 
was  nothing,  away  from  him,  and  mocked  his  feeble  remon- 
strances. At  this  court  he  was  a  humble  and  unsuccessful 
suppliant,  aided  by  no  complaisant  judge  or  purchasable  juror 
ready  to  do  the  bidding  of  a  moneycrat.  Ingledee  had 
thought  that  possibly  every  young  man  reared  in  a  city  must 
sow  a  few  wild  oats.  In  his  own  simple  country  life  no  such 
hazardous  planting  had  been  thought  of,  nor  would  it  have 
been  tolerated  by  his  stern  father.  He  indulged  the  illusion 
that  the  young  man  would  get  a  sunfeit  of  folly  and  abandon 
it  of  his  own  accord.  Farmers  often  believe  that  wheat  un- 
der the  adverse  conditions  of  an  unfavorable  soil  or  season 
will  turn  into  worthless  "cheat."  Mr.  Ingledee's  fond 
credulity  went  still  further  and  believed  that  what  was  sown 
as  cheat  should  finally  turn  into  wheat.  Too  late  had  Mr. 
Ingledee  laboriously  begun  to  construct  his  protecting  levees. 
The  rushing  muddy  water  had  already  swept  away  or  fouled 
everything  good  and  fair  in  his  cherished  fields  and  gardens, 
and  the  cheat  alone  flourished. 

•  Lately  Silas  had  begun  to  gamble,  and  his  losses  had  been 
a  heavy  draft  on  the  parental  cash  box.  Now,  Henry  Ingle- 
dee was  a  man  who  when  once  thoroughly  aroused  on  any 
subject  whatever,  took  a  decided  stand,  and  no  power  on 
earth  (ould  move  him.  He  was  not  arbitrary  or  unreasona- 
ble in  the  everyday  affairs  of  life,  either  with  his  family  or 
others.     He  allowed  his  children  all  the  money  they  needed  to 


296  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

spend,  and  asked  few  questions  about  how  they  spent  it.  Any 
reasonable  caprice  they  were  at  Hberty  to  gratify,  regardless 
of  expense.  But  gambling,  though  a  fashionable,  was  not  to 
his  mind  a  reasonable  caprice.  He  made  a  wide  distinction 
between  the  betting  on  "  futures"  in  Wall  street  and  the  bet- 
ting on  "  futures"  at  the  gaming  table.  Like  many  other  nice 
distinctions  in  law,  medicine,  theology,  or  social  ethics,  it  was 
a  distinction  without  a  difference.  But  Ingledee  recognized 
fully  its  validity.  He  would  not  allow  gambling.  In  bet- 
ting, he  had  informed  Silas,  it  is  as  eas}'  to  stake  one  hundred 
thousand  as  one  thousand.  It  would  ruin  even  a  modern 
railway  king  who  could  buy  and  sell  old  Croesus  every  day. 
If  such  nonsense  were  allowed  to  go  on,  the  Ipsses  of  the 
operator  at  the  gaming  table  might  even  counterbalance  the 
gains  of  the  operator  in  Wall  street.  Mr.  Ingledee's  logic 
as  exem^^lified  and  emphasized  in  his  own  life  was  that  the 
only  safe  way  to  gamble  is  to  do  it  after  the  method  of  the 
heathen  Chinee,  which  was  described  as  "  peculiar,"  but 
which  was  no  more  jDecuiiar  than  the  methods  of  a  subsidy 
and  land-grant  railway  magnate. 

Ingledee,  suspecting  where  so  much  money  went,  had  set 
about  learning  the  exact  location  of  this  miniature  maelstrom 
which  absorbed  ready  cash  with  such  facility.  He  scorned 
to  set  spies  to  watch  his  son's  actions,  and  in  consequence 
found  information  not  very  easy  to  get.  As  he  had  on  one 
or  two  occasions  before  confided  in  Roker,  he  now  had  re- 
course to  that  gentleman.  In  a  roundabout  way  he  intro- 
duced the  subject  of  gambling  in  general.  Roker  knew  his 
power.  He  would  let  this  proud  man  humble  himself  to 
ask  for  what  he  wanted,  otherwise  he  might  go  without  in- 
formation. Finding  hints  useless,  Ingledee  at  length  asked 
Roker  plainly  whether  he  had  heard  any  rumors  among 
young  men  around  town  of  Silas's  losses.  Roker  feigned 
as  much  surprise  as  was  prudent,  thought  such  things  were 
greatly  exaggerated,  and  finally  admitted  that  he  had  heard 
rumors  of  Mr.  Silas  having  engaged  in  sundry  conflicts 
with  the  animal  figuratively  known  as  the  tiger.  From 
Mr.  Ingledee's  bitter  denunciation  of  the  vice  of  gaming, 
this  deep  conspirator  saw  at  once  that  its  continued  indul- 
gence by  Silas  would  be  an  additional  factor  in  the  chain  of 
growing  differences  that  must  sooner  or  later  make. reconcil- 
iation Between  father  and  son  impossible.  Hence  ihe  lower 
Silas  sank  into  disreputable  practices  the  further  he  fell  from 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  297 

his  father's  standard  of  usefulness,  and  the  less  danger  there 
was  of  the  son  ever  supplanting  Roker  in  the  imjDortant 
confidential  position  which  he  now  held.  Hence  he  had  no 
intention  of  informing  Mr.  Ingledee  as  to  the  worst  until 
the  worst  could  not  be  remedied.  He  carelessly  remarked, 
that  in  certain  circles  young  men  usually  played  a  little. 
This  was  said  in  a  manner  which  led  Mr.  Ingledee  to  be- 
lieve that  his  confidential  clerk  was  not  aware  of  the  extent 
of  Silas's  losses.  These  had  been  so  heavy  that  Mr.  Ingledee 
had  plainly  informed  his  son  that  unless  the  drain  of  money 
was  greatly  diminished  he  would  put  him  on  an  allowance 
and  pay  no  more  of  his  debts. 

At  the  Argosy  Club  Tom  and  Silas  sat  smoking  and 
chattnig.  They  were  perhaps  more  confidential  than  they 
had  ever  been  before.  The  latter  had  much  to  say  about  his 
Colorado  experiences,  which  greatly  interested  Silas. 
Among  other  things  the  subject  of  gambling  was  mentioned 
and  the  fondness  of  miners  for  games  of  chance. 

At  this  particular  juncture  Mr.  Horace  Roker  sauntered 
into  the  room.  As  he  had  been  unobserved  by  his  acquaint- 
ances, for  some  reason  best  known  to  himself,  he  did  not  join 
them,  but  retired  to  a  seat  in  an  alcove  near.  It  has  puz- 
zled a  great  many  people,  and  doubtless  it  will  remain  a 
source  of  perplexity  to  many  more  till  the  end  of  time,  why 
the  Power  that  controls  the  destinies  of  the  universe  will 
sometimes  allow  everything  to  conspire  to  aid  the  diabolical 
schemes  of  a  villain,  even  to  the  bringing  about  of  purely 
fortuitous  circumstances  in  his  favor,  while  on  the  other  hand 
unforeseen  causes  rise  on  every  hand  to  defeat  the  plans  of  an 
honest  man.  Roker  could  not  have  arrived  at  a  more  op- 
portune time  to  hear  just  what  he  wanted  to  know  after  the 
conversation  which  had  occurred  between  him  and  Mr. 
Ingledee  a  few  days  before.  He  puffed  his  cigar  apparently 
unconscious  of  all  the  world,  but  listening  intently.  Pretty 
soon  Silas  remarked  in  a  scarcely  audible  tone: 

"  I  don't  mind  telling  you,  Norwell,the  fact  is,  I've  dipped 
into  that  sort  of  thing  a  little  myself.  I  lost  pretty  heavily 
and  the  governor  threatened  to  sit  on  me  if  I  did  it  any 
more." 

"  I  never  was  in  such  a  place  in  New  York  in  my  life.  I 
suppose  the  games  are  very  much  like  those  in  tho  Rocky 
Mountains?" 

"  About   the   same   thing  the   world  over,  I  guess,  only 


298  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

these  high-toned  places  here  are  very  elegant.  I'll  take  you 
round  to  Dick's  place,  in  Occidental  street,  if  you  say  so. 
It's  only  a  step." 

"  I  shouldn't  mind  seeing  it  out  of  curiosity,  if  I  am  not  ex- 
pected to  play.       I  never  play  for  money." 

"  That's  all  right.  I'll  take  you  in  as  a  visitor.  Come 
on."  The  two  men  walked  out  into  the  street,  and  Roker 
immediately  passed  to  the  other  side  and  followed  them. 

Next  afternoon  Mr.  Ingledee  and  Roker  were  closeted  in 
his  private  office,  as  they  often  were,  discussing  important 
business  matters.  Mr.  Ingledee  was  beginning  to  realize 
more  and  more  the  value  to  him  of  this  hard-working,  clear- 
headed, confidential  clerk.  He  often  secretly  regretted  that 
Silas  had  never  taken  to  business  with  the  same  interest. 
He  was  beginning  to  despair  that  his  son  should  ever  be  able 
to  succeed  him,  and  by  his  energy  sustain  the  father's  world- 
wide reputation.  After  they  were  through  talking  business 
Roker  still  lingered,  and  presently  said: 

"  Excuse  my  interrupting  you  further,  Mr.  Ingledee" — 
then  he  hesitated,  as  if  not  knowing  how  to  proceed. 

«  Go  on,  Roker.     What  is  it  ?" 

"  You  I'emember  our  conversation  the  other  day  about 
Mr.  Silas?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Ingledee,  with  a  quick  raising  of  the  brows. 

"You  will  excuse  my  mentioning  it  but" — here  he  hesi- 
tated again. 

"  Go  on,  Mr,  Roker.  If  you  have  anything  to  commu- 
nicate, have  no  hesitancy.  I  shall  not  only  overlook  your 
mentioning  it,  but  after  our  previous  conversations  on  the 
same  subject,  consider  it  quite  a  kindness  on  your  part." 

"  Chancing  to  drop  into  the  Argosy  Club  last  evening,  I 
overheard  a  conversation  between  your  son  and  Mr.  Norwell. 
I  was  so  situated  I  could  scarcely  help  hearing.  To  my 
surprise  they  were  talking  about  gambling."  Here  Roker 
paused,  and  Ingledee  raising  his  eyes  slightly,  after  a  mo- 
ment, said: 

"Well?" 

"  In  a  few  moments  they  left  the  place  and  went  di- 
rectly to  Dick's  place,  in  Occidental  street." 

"  If  Silas  dares  to  disobey  me  in  this  matter,  I  will  cast 
him  out  and  disown  him,"  and  a  look  of  almost  fierce 
anger  instantly  appeared  on  the  usually  calm,  impassioned 
features. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  299 

"  I  thought  it  best  for  you  to  know,"  said  Roker,  rising 
to  go. 

"You  did  quite  right,  Mr.  Roker.  I  appreciate  your 
motives  and  thank  you  for  it.  My  boy  is  everything  to  me. 
I  would  give  all  else  I  have  in  the  world  for  him,"  contin- 
ued Ingledee,  half  to  himself,  as  if  unconscious  of  Roker's 
presence.  "  It  is  hard  to  think  that  he  has  no  respect  either 
for  himself  or  me.  He  forgets  what  I  have  made  him."  But 
the  son  had  not  forgotten.  The  father  had  by  a  lifetime  of 
example  taught  him  that  it  was  right  to  wring  money  un- 
justly from  the  millions  to  spend  selfishly  on  himself. 
The  spending  being  easier  than  the  getting,  this  sybarite 
offspring  chose  that  to  the  neglect  of  the  other.  The  father 
had  never  since  he  entered  Wall  street  really  had  an  honora- 
ble, lofty  aspiration.  Could  he  expect  the  spring  to  rise 
above  its  source?  Recollecting  himself,  Ingledee  again 
said : 

"  Thank  you,  Roker.  Did  you  say  he  was  with  Tom 
Norwell?"  he  asked,  as  a  new  idea  appeared  suddenly  to 
strike  him. 

"  Yes,  they  went  together." 

«  That  is  very  strange." 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


IN    WHICH    THE     BROWNELL     FAMILY    RECOGNIZE     THE    EX- 
ISTENCE   OF    THE    UNITED    STATES. 

The  Brownells  de<emed  it  best  to  recognize  at  stated  in- 
tervals the  existence  of  the  United  States,  republican  institu- 
tions, and  their  fellow  citizens  of  New  York.  They  did 
this  in  a  way  which  effectually  prevented  the  assumption  of 
undue  familiarity  on  the  part  of  said  republican  institutions 
toward  the  Brownell  family.  They  gave  at  long  intervals  a 
reception  conducted  in  the  very  top  notch  of  etiquette. 
Probably  Mr.  Brownell  was  not  ashamed  of  being  an 
American  citizen.  Atjeast  he  had  never  been  known  to  say 
so  publicly.  But  his  actions,  his  speech,  and  his  aping  of 
old-world  manners  indicated  that  he  thought  such  citizenship 
a  mild  sort  of  stigma,  which,  though  disagreeable,  was  not 


300 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


positively  a  thing  to  be  ashamed  of.  It  was  to  be  borne 
best  by  persistently  ignoring  it  and  assuming  instead  a  cos- 
mopolitan attitude  of  world  citizenship.  No  one  country, 
however  great,  can  conveniently  hold  such  an  American  as 
Mr.  Brownell,  though  on  the  other  side  of  the  water  men 
of  this  Himalayan  pride  can  afford  to  boast  of  belonging  to 
the  nobility  of  some  contemptible  little  principality  not 
large  enough  to  make  a  decent  cow  ratich  in  Texas. 

The  Brownell  family  consisted  of  Mr,  Brownell,  his  wife, 
a  son  and  a  daughter.  The  latter  liad  married  a  distinguished- 
looking  foreigner  with  a  piratical  visage,  most  luxuriant 
whiskers  and  an  equally  luxuriant  blanket  mortgage  spread 
all  over  everything  belonging  to  him,  excepting  his  pedigree. 
Mrs.  Brownell's  pride  did  not  cover  so  much  ground  as  her 
husband's,  but  was  better  focused  and  consequently  much  more 
intense.  She  thought  it  very  probable  that  she  was  descended 
from  a  celebrated  old-world  freebooter,  who,  by  grace  of  his 
promiscuous  cutting  of  throats  and  seizing  of  lands  had,  away 
back  five  hundred  years  ago,  won  from  an  appreciative  king 
a  patent  of  nobility,  and  become  Baron  of  something  or  other, 
just  what  it  was  makes  no  difference  in  this  history.  She 
based  this  rather  shadowy  genealogy  chiefly  on  the  fact  that 
her  paternal  ancestors  held  the  same  name  as  the  old  Baron, 
and  came  from  the  same  country  which  boasted  the  doubtful 
honor  of  having  produced  that  illustrious  old  robber.  Per- 
haps the  strongest  point  in  favor  of  her  claim  was,  that  no 
one  could  prove  its  falsity  had  it  been  worth  while  to  make 
the  attempt. 

To  Mr.  Brownell  it  had  always  been  a  secret  cause  of 
mild  regret  that  he  had  not  sprung  from  a  marquis,  a  duke, 
a  princeling  of  some  sort,  a  Dutch  discoverer,  a  fierce  Hugue- 
not pretty  well  slashed  by  Catholic»swords,  or  in  fact  any 
ancient  worthy  with  a  gory  record  and  a  barbarous  name. 
Even  a  Puritan  father  would  have  been- better  than  nobody. 
Such  descent  would  have  been  all  the  more  satisfaction,  since 
he  could  then  have  offset  his  wife's  rascally  old  Baron  by  his 
own  redoubtable  ancestors.  But  to  do  his  best  Mr.  Brownell 
could  not  trace  his  family  genealogy  back  farther  than  his 
grandfather,  who  had  come  to  this  country  some  seventy-five 
years  before,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  the  comfortable  for- 
tune the  family  now  enjoyed,  by  trading  and  investing  in  real 
estate.  The  grandfather  and  father  had  spent  their  lives  get- 
ting money,  which  the  present  head  of  the  house  carefully 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  3OI 

spent  in  burning  incense  on  the  family  altar  of  Brownell 
pride.  The  Brownells,  though  well-known,  had  never  been 
society  people,  because  Mrs.  Brownell  did  not  care  to  make 
advances  to  people  whose  pretensions  to  ancestry  were  as  yes- 
terday compared  with  her  own.  The  "  best  families  "  on  the 
other  hand  did  not  care  to  worship  blue  blood  so  long  drawn 
out,  that  it  painfully  reflected  on  a  pedigree  derived  but  the 
day  before  from  boatmen,  peddlers,  and  shop-keepers.  When 
the  plutocrats  cared  to  play  the  sycophant  to  aristocracy,  as 
many  of  them  did,  they  could  go  to  the  scions  of  some  of  the 
very  bluest  blood  in  Europe,  and  lay  down  their  dollars  in 
exchange  for  the  dear  privilege  of  worshiping  a  name. 

The  Brownells  now  determined  to  pay  their  social  debts 
by  burning  some  incense  publicly.  They  were  very  careful 
as  to  whom  they  invited  to  witness  their  sacred  mysteries. 
For  this  there  were  two  valid  reasons,  the  blood  of  the  bold 
Baron  and  the  fact  that  in  their  estimation  social  recognition 
of  any  one  by  the  Brownells,  bestowed  on  the  recipient  a  sort 
of  halo  that  was  expected  to  cling  to  him  ever  afterward. 
Hence  it  was  eminently  proper  that  candidates  for  this  honor 
should  be  selected,  with  great  care.  As  a  rule  there  were  in- 
vited only  people  who  lived  on  a  fixed  income,  or  who  were 
prosperous  in  some  worldly  sense,  or  who  suffered  from  in- 
ordinate pedigree,  or  who  were  afflicted  with  incurable  mani- 
festations of  genius.  Among  the  guests  were  the  Ingledees, 
the  Ophirs  (though  Mr.  Ophir  scarcely  ever  went  to  such 
places),  the  Chrysolites,  the  Norwells  and  the  Snickers. 
Garmand  as  a  distinguished  foreigner  allied  to  the  nobility, 
was  invited.  May  Bryce  received  an  invitation  by  virtue  of 
the  fact  that  she  was  a  guest  of  Alice  Norwell,  whose  father 
had  been  an  old  friend  of  Mr.  Brownell. 

On  the  eventful  evening  the  Brownell  mansion,  which 
was  closed  so  large  a  part  of  the  time,  was  brilliantly  lighted. 
The  great  world  which  was  too  husy  or  too  poor  to  engage  in 
such  things,  realized  that  some  unusual  eruption  was  about 
to  take  place  i'n  the  higher  altitudes  of  the  social  structure. 
The  people  gathered  in  a  crowd  to  look  on,  much  as  the 
Neapolitans  would  look  at  an  eruption  of  Vesuvius.  The 
house  was  brilliantly  illuminated  and  beautifully  adorned  with 
floral  devices.  Elaborate  preparations  had  been  made  for  re- 
freshments. Exquisite  music  was  provided.  The  ballroom 
floor  shone  like  a  mirror  for  those  who  cared  to  dance. 
There  were  cards  for  those  who  liked  to  play,  in  short,  every 


302  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

device  emplo^'cd  by  the  "  best  people  "  was  here  to  be  found 
for  the  amusement  of  the  guest.  Mr.  Brownell  had  money, 
and  though  his  interest  in  the  American  people  was  somewhat 
perfunctory,  he  wanted  them  to  feel  that  his  interest  in  his 
own  reputation  for  doing  things  genteelly  was  very  active. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  reception  room  stood  Airs.  Brownell 
to  welcome  the  guests.  She  was  a  tall,  faded  lady  with  a 
tired,  dyspeptic  expression,  and  dressed  like  a  duchess.  Her 
manners  were  frigidly  though  studiously  polite.  Her  move- 
ments were  rather  too  precise  to  be  called  graceful;  they  gave 
her  the  appearance  of  a  wondrous  piece  of  mechanism 
wound  up  for  the  evening.  Mr.  Brownell  was,  if  possible, 
in  a  more  arctic,  inflexible  condition  than  his  stately  wife. 
Though  these  people  sincerely  attempted  to  be  entertaining 
the  effect  of  their  manners  was  decidedly  refrigerating  like 
the  influence  of  an  iceberg  in  a  temperate  sea. 

Among  other  notable  guests  was  the  Honorable  Dave 
Sawder.  The  Honorable  Dave  had  run  up  from  Washing- 
ton where  Congress  was  in  session,  on  business.  The  legis- 
latures of  two  States  would  soon  meet  in  two  capitals  not  a 
thousand  miles  from  New  York  City,  and  United  States 
Senators  were  to  be  elected.  Ophir  was  supposed  to  be 
directly  interested  in  both  these  elections.  Perhaps  the  Hon- 
orable Dave  Sawder  was  interested  too,  in  some  way. 

Mr.  Ingledee,  though  seldom  appearing  in  society,  was 
present  on  this  occasion.  During  the  evening,  Brownell, 
Ingledee  and  Sawder  became  engaged  in  a  political  discussion. 
Sawder  was  reminding  the  other  two  of  their  neglect  of  polit- 
ical duties.  With  a  great  show  of  candor  he  went  on  to  say 
much  about  the  unpatriotic  conduct  of  so  many  American 
citizens  in  this  respect. 

"  The  better  classes  have  no  right  to  complain  of  mis- 
government  and  corruption,  so  long  as  they  refuse  to  perform 
their  duties  at  the  primaries  and  at  the  polls.  They  complain 
that  crooked,  ward  politicians  and  barroom  loafers  manage 
the  elections.  Such  was  the  case  under  the  opposition,  as  we 
well  know." 

"  Oh,  of  course,"  said  Mr.  Brownell,  "the  regime  of  the 
opposition  was  disgraceful.  But  do  you  not  think  that  we 
can  safely  leave  it  to  the  rank  and  file  of  our  party  to  accom- 
plish all  that  is  needed  ? "  Snicker  Senior,  who  had  joined 
the  group,  remarked: 

"  I  think  so,  gentlemen.  Our  institutions  are  very  flexible, 
gentlemen." 


AN    IRON   CROWN.  303 

"  Other  people  do  not  furnish  the  money  to  pay  your 
taxes,  then  why  should  you  allow  them  to  furnish  all  the 
votes  to  elect  the  men  who  levy  your  taxes?  "  asked  Sawder. 

"  I  think  the  franchise  ought  to  be  restricted.  Voting  is  a 
farce  as  managed  nowadays,"  remarked  Snicker. 

"  We  business  men  are  able  to  make  more,"  replied  Ingle- 
dee  to  Sawder,  paying  no  attention  to  Snicker's  remark,  "  by 
attending  to  business  and  allowing  officeholders  to  steal  a 
little  for  themselves  and  friends." 

"  Then  don't  complain  if  they  steal  a  little  more  than  you 
expected,  as  the  opposition  did.  I  think  our  party  can  be 
safely  trusted,  but  how  are  you  going  to  keep  our  party  in 
power?     Manifestly  by  rallying  every  man  to  the  polls." 

"  For  my  part,"  Mr.  Brownell  went  on,  "  I  am  absent 
abroad  a  great  deal  and  I  scarcely  feel  well  enough  informed 
to  engage  actively  in  local  affairs.  I  instruct  my  business 
agent  to  vote  however,  in  my  place  as  it  were.  You  know 
local  politics  is — you  will  excuse  me  Mr.  Sawder,  for  T  don't 
refer  to  national — " 

"  Don't  be  afraid  of  my  feelings." 

*'  Well  in  short,  local  politics  is  a  very  dirty  business." 

"  The  trouble  with  you  fellows  is  that  you  want  to  go  to 
the  polls  in  a  carriage,  and  you're  afraid  that  some  plebeian 
will  jostle  you,  so  you  stay  away.  The  old  Roman  was 
more  patriotic;  no  matter  how  long  his  purse  or  how  blue 
his  blood,  he  buckled  on  his  shield  and  went  to  war." 

"  He  knew,"  replied  Ingledee,  "that  he  wouldn't  get  any  of 
the  spoils  if  he  didn't.  We  make  more  money  at  home 
nowadays." 

"No  doubt  of  it  at  all,"  said  Snicker.  "During  the  war  I 
scooped  a  clean  million  out  of  sugar.  I  tell  you  what  it  is, 
gentlemen,  these  fellows  who  are  eternally  growling  about 
the  rich,  and  bribery,  and  extortion,  and  all  that,  are  a  set  of 
poor  devils  who  have  failed  to  make  money  themselves. 
Why  don't  they  make  money  too?  Haven't  the  brains,  that's 
ail."  Snicker  said  this  with  an  air  of  authority  that  settled 
the  question  at  once  and  for  good. 

These  four  men  represented  four  elements  of  weakness,  if 
not  danger,  to  our  republican  institutions.  Brownell  was  the 
proud,  but  honorable,  rich  man  who  disdained  to  mingle  with 
laborers  and  mechanics  to  aid  the  cause  of  honest  govern- 
ment by  his  influence  and  coimsel.  Ingledee  was  the  sort  of 
rich   man,   who,  by   way   of    advancing    his    own    interests, 


304  AN    IRON    CKOWN. 

thought  no  more  of  buying  an  alderman,  or  congressman 
than  he  would  of  buying  a  watermelon.  Snicker  represented 
the  illiterate,  superficial  rich  man,  who  cares  for  nothing  that 
does  not  give  him  an  opportunity  to  air  his  own  importance 
and  make  a  vulgar  display.  Dave  Sawder  was  the  kind  of 
oily  politician  who  deludes  the  people  into  believing  him  a 
patriot,  and  who  is  ready  to  be  bought,  at  any  time  on  any 
occasion,  not  by  so  many  dollars  counted  out  and  receipted  for, 
but  by  a  block  of  stock  quietly  slipped  into  the  hand  of  a 
discreet  friend  with  the  understanding  that  if  a  certain  bill 
passes  the  stock  will  be  valuable,  if  not,  it  will  be  worthless. 
After  a  vast  amount  of  fictitious  labor,  consultation,  and  in- 
vestigation, such  a  statesman  usually  concludes  that  the  pro- 
posed measure  is  a  great  public  necessity.  Then  ensues  much 
sjDcechmaking  for  buncombe,  accompanied  by  an  energetic 
throwing  of  dust  into  the  eyes  of  the  public — not  for  bun- 
combe. The  great  statesman,  if  opposition  develops,  grows 
patriotic,  ]DOses  as  a  cliampion  of  the  poor  man  who  is  clam- 
oring for  increased  transportation,  grows  frenzied  at  the 
base  motives  of  the  opposition,  who,  like  idiots,  oppose  the 
measure  on  party  grounds,  annihilates  two  or  three  of  their 
conceited  members  who  dare  to  measure  swords  with  him  in 
debate,  musters  his  forces — and  the  bill  passes. 

Tlie  spacious  parlors  of  Mr.  Brownell  were  overflowing 
with  respectability,  3'outh,  and  gayety.  Terpischore  for  the 
time  ■  receives  more  attention  than  politics,  for  the  young 
peojDle  were  more  inclined  to  resort  to  the  ballroom  for 
amusement.  Fred  Snicker  flitted  around  May  Bryce.  He 
was  in  excellent  spirits,  robust,  in  fact,  for  him.  Apparently 
nothing  had  gone  wrong  with  his  boutoniere,  his  perfume,  or 
his  supernal  indiflference  to  the  world  in  general.  The  indi- 
cations were  that  he  was  seriously  smitten  with  the  charms  of 
the  "  Pwawey  Floweh,"  as  he  called  her  when  speaking  to  his 
friends.  Snicker,  of  course,  thought  he  had  made  a  complete 
conquest.  He  never  for  a  moment  entertained  a  suspicion 
that  any  young  lady  could  be  insensible  to  his  attractions. 
May  Bryce  treated  him  with  the  unaffected  kindness  which 
she  bestowed  on  all  her  acquaintances.  Young  gentlemen 
with  more  conceit  than  brains,  on  meeting  a  lady  with  this 
charming  simplicity  of  manner,  are  inclined  to  think  her  de- 
meanor due  to  the  irresistible  fascination  of  their  person  and 
manners,  while  she,  perhaps,  is  secretly  pitying  the  poor  fools. 
The  young  Commoner  danced  one  set  with  May,  and  to  his 


AN    IRON   CROWN.  305 

delight  found  that  «  she  weally  did  vewy  well  indeed."  To 
a  friend  he  confided  this  piece  of  information,  which  with 
much  more,  went  to  confirm  the  high  opinion  Mr.  Snicker  had 
formed  of  this  fair  Western  maiden. 

"  Shouldn't  wonder  if  her  father  owned  a  whole  county  of 
land,  and  ten  thousand  cows  or  so,"  he  remarked  to  a  friend. 
"Of  course  he  must  be  deuced  wich.  I'll  look  that  all  up  if 
I  care  to  go  any  further." 

"  Snicker,  if  you  propose  for  her  hand  I'd  advise  you  to 
examine  it  carefully." 

"  What  a  pwepostewous  pwecavition.  Did  you  ever  hear 
of  a  fellow's  pwoposing  for  a  hand  that  he  hadn't  examined 
carefully  ?     But  why  did  you  say  that,  Stilwell?  " 

"Well  you  see,  if  she  has  been  milking  cows  all  her  life 
her  hand  will  have  a  callus  on  the  palm." 

"Now,  Stilwell,"  said  Snicker  after  a  pause,  during  which 
the  force  of  the  remark  slowly  filtered  into  his  brain,  "  I 
weally  think  that  isn't  fair,  you  know,  about  one's  friends. 
Weally,  I  consider  that  abwupt,"  and  he  tried  to  bustle  up  a 
little  dignity. 

"Pshaw!  don't  be  a  fool,  Snicker.  It  was  only  a  joke. 
I  didn't  know  you  meant  anything  serious." 

"  You  may  think  it  a  very  nice  joke,  but  I  don't.  In  fact, 
I  cawn't  see  any  joke  about  it,  I  consider  it  abwupt."  Then 
he  walked  away,  trying  to  look  ferocious,  which  effort  might 
be  compared  with  the  attempt  of  a  gosling  to  look  savage. 

Miss  Harrie  Snicker  employed  all  her  little  wiles  to  cap- 
ture the  handsome  young  Englishman.  Her  dainty  hook 
and  silken  line  were  always  ready  for  use,  but  her  angling  so 
far  had  not  been  very  successful.  In  spite  of  long  practice, 
she  had  not  learned  to  distinguish  deep  water  from  shallow, 
and  knew  no  better  than  to  troll  with  a  spoon  hook  for  brook 
trout.  Just  now  she  was  trailing  her  spoon  before  a  sucker. 
She  stuck  closely  to  Garmand  and  by  mistake  still  called  him 
"  My  Lord"  occasionally,  which  title,  she  discovered,  was  not 
at  all  displeasing  to  his  ears.  Under  the  pretext  of  showing 
him  a  rare  exotic  she  lured  him  into  the  conservatory,  which 
was  open  to  the  guests,  and  detained  him  longer  than  was 
strictly  necessary  to  examine  the  plant.  They  sat  down  for  a 
while,  and  Miss  Snicker  did  her  best  to  sustain  a  conversation. 
But  as  her  entire  life  had  been  spent  considering  the  intri- 
cacies of  female  dress,  or  trymg  to  master  the  newest  kink  in 
the  very  latest  dance;  and  as  he  had  spent  most  of  his  exis- 


3^0  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

tence  in  the  xiurderous  occupation  of  killing  time,  this  couple 
found  little  to  talk  about. 

Fashion  is  a  cruel  master  which  exacts  an  inestimable  sac- 
rifice from  its  slaves.  It  demands  not  only  the  time  and 
energies  of  the  body,  but  a  condition  of  its  service  is  that  the 
mind  shall  be  left  almost  a  blank.  From  the  very  nature  of 
the  pursuit,  the  devotee  of  fashion  acquires  few  valuable  ideas. 
The  brain  is  filled  with  nonsense,  which  is  only  to  be  dis- 
placed by  other  nonsense  with  each  new  craze.  Ideas  are 
distasteful,  because  they  necessitate  thought.  The  time  and 
the  inclination  to  pursue  any  useful  purpose  or  healthful  activ- 
ity to  a  conclusion,  and  thus  reap  the  legitimate  fruits  of  real 
effort,  are  both  lacking.  The  devotee  of  fashion  grows  old 
with  the  consciousness  that  he  or  she  has  never  evolved  a  beau- 
tiful or  practical  thought,  or  performed  a  great  deed.  Under 
the  inexorable  law  of  natural  selection  they  must  sink  into 
utter  inanity  or  still  be  the  superannuated  slaves  of  fashion. 
And  what  sight  is  more  pitiable  than  a  i"heumatic,  shriveled  old 
beau,  with  his  ghastly  smile  more  suggestive  of  face  ache 
than  mirth,  trying  to  keep  uj:)  the  absurd  antics  which  in  a 
very  young  man  may  be  excusable.  One  other  equals  it, 
and  that  is  the  palsied,  shrunken,  sallow  old  belle,  rouged, 
ruffled  and  bespangled,  who  attempts  at  fifty  or  sixty  to  imi- 
tate the  rosy  charms  and  artless  manners  of  a  maiden  in  her 
teens.  Persistent  devotion  to  fashion  is  a  sure  mark  of  men- 
tal inferiority. 

The  conversation  between  Harrie  Snicker  and  Wyndleigh 
Garmand  was  necessarily  somewhat  disjointed  and  not  par- 
ticularly edifying,  except,  perhaps,  to  the  student  of  social 
ethics.  She  wished  to  appear  greatly  interested  in  everything 
he  said  or  did,  while  he  thought  to  himself  it  was  a  "great 
bore,  you  know,"  to  be  obliged  to  entertain  all  the  time  in- 
stead of  being  entertained.  He  had  been  relating  some  of 
his  experiences  in  the  West,  and  among  other  topics  got 
around  to  mining.  He  frequently  mentioned  shafts  in  that 
connection,  till  finally.  Miss  Snicker's  curiosity  being  aroused, 
she  asked: 

"  Mr.  Garmand,  did  you  bring  back  one  of  those  shafts 
among  your  collection  of  curiosities?" 

"  No,  certainly  not,"  said  he  in  some  surprise,  "  you  see 
this  shaft  is  aw — in  the  ground,  you  know." 

"  Couldn't  they  dig  one  up?" 

"  Really,  Miss  Snickeh,  you  don't  quite  aw — understand. 


AN    IRON    CROWN 


307 


The  shaft  is  only  a — really  now,  what  is  it — why,  in  fact,  you 
see  it's  nothing  but  a  hole  in  the  ground."  Garmand  was  de- 
sirous of  getting  rid  of  this  piece  of  insipidity.  He  was 
oblivious  to  his  own  inability  to  interest  people.  Had  he  been 
reminded  of  it  he  would  only  have  asked,  "  Pon  m}'^  soul,  why 
should  I  be  under  the  necessity  of  entertaining  anybody? 
Now,  really,  I'm  surprised  that  any  one  expected  me  to  put 
myself  out  that  way,  you  know."  But  he  was  very  con- 
scious of  her  stupendous  ignorance.  Passing  out  they  saw 
Alice  Norwell  and  May  Bryce  talking  to  two  gentlemen. 
Miss  Snicker  remarked  in  no  very  low  tone. 

"  I  think  the  Norwells  must  be  very  poor  now.  1  don't 
see  how  they  can  afford  to  go  into  society.  Why  don't  peo- 
ple who  can't  afford  it  keep  where  they  belong!  They  cer- 
tainly don't  belong  in  society.  The  idea  of  poor  people  go- 
ing into  society.  It's  dreadful,  and  then  poverty  is  not  in- 
teresting at  all.     It  is  so  common." 

"  Yes,  I  believe  you  are  right.  Miss  Snickeh.  I  think 
myself  poverty  is  deuced  common,  and  admitted  generally  to 
be  aw — in  fact,  vulgah." 

The  young  lady  was  not  yet  ready  to  surrender  "My 
Lord."  On  the  dancing  floor  a  party  was  forming  for  a  Vir- 
ginia reel  as  a  change  from  the  giddy  whirl  of  over-much 
waltzing.  Miss  Harrie  said  she  believed  the  dance  was 
brought  from  Virginia,  and  it  was  very  good  for  variety. 
There  was  no  help  for  it,  so  he  asked  her  to  be  his  j^artner, 
casting  rather  wishful  eyes,  however,  at  one  or  two  other 
young  ladies  of  his  acquaintance.  Young  Snicker  led  out 
Miss  Bryce  with  such  a  profusion  of  gallantry  that  his  bow- 
ing, smirking  and  excess  of  little  attentions  embarrassed  her 
a  trifle. 

May  had  consented  to  this  dance  because  it  was  a  reel. 
Waltzing  had  made  her  giddy  and  somewhat  short  of  breath. 
She  did  not  feel  well.  She  was  weary  with  all  this  display, 
confusion  of  voices,  music  and  overheated  air.  Tom  Nor- 
well had  led  out  Chetta  Ingledee.  As  May  glanced  at  them 
taking  their  places,  her  heart  suddenly  sank.  She  expeinenced 
an  overpowering  sense  of  loneliness  and  an  indefinable  feeling 
of  dissatisfaction.  This  feeling  amounted  almost  to  distress. 
She  was  on  the  point  of  asking  Snicker  to  lead  her  to  a  seat. 
Then  she  knew  that  would  attract  attention  which  her  sensi- 
tive nature  shrank  from.  Suddenly,  without  knowing  why, 
she  wished  she  were  in  her  prairie  home  and  had  never  seen 


308  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

New  York.  Was  she  jealous  ?  No.  Tom  Norvvell's  invit- 
ing Chctta  to  dance  was  not  only  perfectly  proper  but  to  be 
expected,  seeinjj  they  were  old  friends.  Looking  at  Chetta, 
however,  May  thought  she  detected  an  air  of  triumph  ex- 
pressed in  the  bearing  of  that  young  lady. 

May  Brj^e  X"ealized  the  dissimilarity  of  taste  and  feeling 
existing  between  herself  and  most  of  the  people  ai*ound  her. 
She  saw  the  impossibility  of  her  ever  leading  or  even  occupy- 
ing a  prominent  position  in  this  elegant  society.  Her  simple 
tastes,  country  breeding  and  her  keen  appreciation  of  truth, 
which  made  it  impossible  for  her  to  countenance  even  false 
appearances  or  shams  of  any  kind,  all  combined  to  make  her 
dissatisfied  with  the  empty  compliments,  the  glitter  and  the 
hollowness  of  fashionable  life.  It  was  all  foreign  to  her  nature. 
She  was  not  at  home  in  such  surroundings,  despite  her  best 
efforts  to  appear  so,  and  save  mortification  to  her  friends.  She 
made  one  or  two  blunders  even  in  the  simple  figures  of  the 
Virginia  reel,  to  her  great  disgust  with  herself. 

May  went  to  her  seat,  looking  ill.  The  color  on  her 
cheeks  was  too  brilliant  for  perfect  health.  To  inquiries  from 
one  or  two  ladies,  she  replied  that  nothing  was  the  matter. 
Snicker  was  anxious  to  serve  her.  He  had  a  profusion  of  sug- 
gestions. She  assured  him  that  she  wished  nothing.  She 
was  only  a  little  tired.  Finally,  as  a  kindness  to  him  in  ac- 
cepting some  service,  she  allowed  him  to  bring  her  a  glass  of 
water.  Miss  Ingledee  came  and  sat  beside  May,  and  Mr. 
Snicker  excusing  himself,  left  them  alone. 

"  You  are  not  feeling  well.  Miss  Bryce.  I  think  the  room 
is  too  warm  for  you." 

"  It  is  a  little  too  much  exertion  I  think.  Miss  Ingledee." 
In  spite  of  her  efforts  to  appear  calm,  a  flush  suffused  her 
features.  May  hated  this  tell-tale  glow  in  the  presence  of  the 
woman  before  whom  she  wished  to  appear  indifferent. 

"I  think,  Miss  Ingledee,  I  have  danced  too  much  this 
evenmg."  Chetta  Ingledee's  heart  softened  toward  this  pain- 
fully sensitive  girl.  She  tried  to  put  May  at  her  ease  by 
turning  the  conversation  in  a  different  direction.  They 
chatted  a  few  minutes  on  various  topics,  but  May  Br^xe  all 
the  time  could  not  get  rid  of  the  notion  that  this  dark-eyed 
young  lady  was,  under  the  guise  of  careless  conversation,  try- 
ing to  read  her.  In  consequence  May  grew  self-possessed 
and  reticent,  as  Chetta  grew  more  communicative. 

"You  have  excellent  friends  in  the  Norwells,"  she  said. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  309 

"  Ves,  very  nice,  indeed." 

«  Old  friends  of  your  father's  family,  I  suppose?"  Chetta 
put  this  innocent  query  as  a  feeler,  while  her  manner  was  ap- 
parently most  indifferent. 

"  No,  not  exactly.  I  had  letters  to  Miss  Alice  Norwell 
from  a  friend  of  hers." 

"  You  could  not  have  found  better  people  to  introduce 
you  into  good  society." 

"  They  have  been  very  kind." 

"  They  are,  1  might  say,  old  friends  of  our  family," 

"Indeed  ?"  May  thought  it  strange  that  Alice  had  not 
mentioned  the  Ingledees  oftener.  As  for  Tom,  well,  he  had 
never  mentioned  them  at  all. 

"Then  Miss  Norwell  is  an  old  friend  of  yours?" 

"  Yes,  that  is  to  sa}^,  an  old  acquaintance.  But  I  am  better 
acquainted  with  her  brother.  He  and  I  are  very  old  friends. 
We  took  French  lessons  together  once  in  one  of  Professor 
Dubois's  classes." 

There  was  something  in  the  tone  of  this  innocent-looking 
piece  of  information  that  sent  a  pang  into  May's  heart.  She 
thought  this  woman  meant  something  in  making  the  remark, 
else  wh}^  take  the  trouble  to  tell  a  stranger  how  her  acquain- 
tance with  Tom  Norwell  began?  This  girl  was  an  old  friend 
of  Tom's,  and  while  she  did  not  doubt  him  she  distrusted  the 
woman.  Chetta,  on  the  other  hand,  thought  this  simple 
country  girl,  with  the  pretty  face  and  artless  manners,  was  a 
great  deal  deeper  than  she  appealed.  As  a  possible  rival 
May  Br3rce  might  be  dangerous,  but  Chetta  trusted  to  hej- 
own  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  the  hold  she  fancied  she 
already  had  on  Tom  Norwell  to  come  out  best  in  the  end. 

The  guests  were  now  rapidly  saying  good-night  to  the 
stately  host  and  hostess,  Mr,  Brownell's  face  wore  that  air 
of  reserved  self-satisfaction  which  so  becomes  the  consciously 
proper  man  who  has  done  the  proper  thing  in  a  proper  man- 
ner at  the  proper  time.  Mrs.  Brownell's  faded,  tired  face 
wore  a  resigned  expression  of  duty  well  done.  She  had 
wielded  the  social  scepter  full  as  well  as  her  reputed  ancestor, 
the  old  Baron,  had  ever  wielded  his  dripping  sword  in  "ye  good 
old  days."  At  the  hour  of  two  the  doors  closed  on  the  last 
guest,  and  the  social  debts  of  the  Brownells  were  paid  for  two 
or  three  years  to  come. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

MAKING  A  U.  S.  SENATOR. —  MISS  CIIETTA  INGT.EDEE  AC- 
CinENTALLY  OBTAINS  SOME  VERY  IMPORTANT  I\- 
FORMATION,  AND  MR.  QUILL  M  ALLEY  EXECUTES  A 
URRINT. 

United  States  Senators  were  to  be  elected  durinj^  the 
winter  in  several  States,  and  it  behooved  Messrs.  Ophir  and 
Ingledee  to  be  looking  after  their  interests.  Ingledee's  in- 
terests being  on  the  Pacific  coast,  where  such  things  are  more 
easily  managed,  he  could  safely  leave  this  part  of  the  work  to 
liis  very  efficient  partners.  Ophir  had  large  interests  in  States 
adjoining  New  York,  in  addition  to  his  great  Continental  & 
Pacific.  It  was  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to  carry  out 
successfully  their  daring  plans  for  robbing  the  people,  that 
these  men  have  trusty  agents  in  the  guise  of  public  servants 
in  the  halls  of  Congress  and  on  the  floor  of  the  United 
States  Senate.  On  the  whole  it  was  easier  to  secure  Senators 
than  Congressmen.  Under  our  present  system  of  election, 
and  equilibrium  of  parties,  a  man  with  money  can  go  into  a 
State  legislature  and  buy  up  the  few  doubtful  votes  necessary 
to  his  purpose,  with  less  risk  and  expense  than  he  can  buy  the 
popular  votes  at  the  polls.  The  legislative  palm  is  itchy,  and 
the  legislative  inouth  which  manifests  a  disagreeable  dis- 
position to  open  on  all  other  subjects  can  on  this  one  be  very 
close;  the  popular  palm  may  itch  as  badly,  but  the  popular 
mouth  opens  in  a  geometrical  ratio  with  its  number. 

The  Honorable  Dave  Sawder  had  appeared  in  New  York 
at  about  the  time  of  the  meeting  of  these  State  legislatures. 
To-day  he  had  an  appointment  with  Ophir  at  the  well-known 
Big  Sachem  saloon  and  lunch  rooms  on  Occidental  street. 
It  was  just  as  well  perhaps  at  this  particular  time  for  the  rep- 
utation of  legislators,  that  any  interviev^^  between  them  and 
Mr.  Ophir  be  strictly  private.  Ophir  was  J<;nown  to  have  a 
great  deal  of  money,  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  the  aver- 
age legislator  is  in  great  want  of  money,  otherwise  he  would 
not   be  an  ofiice-holder  at  all.     If  it  were  known  that  these 

(310) 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  3II 

men  had  a  confidential  interview  the  papers  might  talk,  and 
the  legislator's  reputation  might  be  injured.  It  may  excite 
some  curiosity  in  the  mind  of  the  reader  as  to  how  a  tricky 
politician's  reputation  could  suffer  injury.  Well,  the  sin  of 
bribery,  like  some  other  very  popular  failings,  entails  serious 
consequences  to  the  delinquent — when  he  is  caught  in  the  act. 
As  for  Ophir's  reputation,  it  was  like  that  which  Caesar 
wished  his  wife  to  have,  though  for  a  different  reason.  He 
had  got  above  suspicion,  because  susj^icion  could  no  longer 
add  an^'thing  to  the  notoriet}^  he  had  achieved. 

Sawder  stepped  into  the  Big  Sachem  about  ten  o'clock  in 
the  forenoon.  At  that  hour  there  would  be  very  few  persons 
about  the  place.  Nodding  pleasantly  to  the  barkeeper  he 
told  him  to  say,  when  the  other  gentleman  came,  that  he 
was  waiting.  Then  he  stepped  through  a  latticed  swinging 
door  and  disappeared  in  the  rear. 

A  description  of  this  elegant  resort  of  refined  dissipation 
may  not  be  amiss  here.  Let  not  the  reader  picture  this 
saloon  as  a  dingy  place,  with  a  dirty  floor  covered  with  saw- 
dust, and  dotted  with  filthy  spittoons.  Everything  was  pleas- 
ing to  the  eye.  Had  Pope  resorted  here  perhaps  he  might 
never  have  pronounced  vice  to  be  a  monster  of  hideous  mien. 
Here  vice  was  no  monster  so  far  as  external  appearances 
went.  The  floor  was  composed  of  small  fancy-colored  tiles 
laid  in  geometric  patterns,  which  made  it  look  almost  like  a 
handsome  mosaic.  The  walls  were  covered  with  beautiful 
pictures  of  nymphs,  battle  scenes  and  mythological  subjects. 
The  ceiling  was  handsomely  frescoed  and  the  highly-orna- 
mented bronze  gasaliers  were  rare  works  of  art.  The  gor- 
geous wall-paper  ended  at  the  floor  in  a  rich  dado  of  dark 
maroon  color  and  ample  width.  The  counters  and  woodwork 
of  the  place  were  of  costly  foreign  woods,  whose  colors  con- 
trasted and  blended  harmoniously.  A  handsome  nickel  foot 
rest  ran  round  the  bar  so  that  the  devotee  at  the  shrine  of  Bac- 
chus could  imbibe  his  potations  in  an  easy  attitude.  This  was 
a  proper  concession  to  that  national  characteristic  which 
makes  it  impossible  for  an  American  to  be  at  ease  till  he  has 
one  foot  (or  both)  elevated  somewhere.  The  cuspidors  were 
elegant  porcelain  affairs  that  might  vie  in  beauty  with  mantel 
vases.  In  the  rear  were  luxuriously  furnished  stalls  with 
doors,  affording  entire  privacy.  Here  were  elegant  clouded- 
marble  tables  for  those  who  chose  to  sit  over  a  bottle  of  wine. 
The  Big  Sachem  was  no  resort  of  the  vulgar.  Its  patrons 
demanded  that  sin  be  made  attractive. 


312  AN    IRON   CROWN. 

Mr.  Ophir  entered  with  a  quick,  business-like  step,  and 
speaking  a  few  words  to  the  presiding  genius,  passed  to  the 
rear.  The  barkeeper  followed  with  some  choice  cigars  on  a 
tray.  Mr.  Ophir  never  drank  liquors  of  any  kind  either  in 
public  or  private.  As  the  door  closed  on  the  waiter  Ophir 
began : 

"  I  am  in  something  of  a  hurry,  Sawder.  I  have  an  ap- 
pointment v^^ith  Ingledee  at  twelve." 

"  Well,  what  do  you  w^ish  done  ? " 

"  It  is  necessary  that  Senator  A  be  re-elected  at  Aries,  and 
that  Senator  C  be  defeated  at  Cancer.  The  contest  will  be 
very  close  in  the  latter  case  and  our  votes  will  turn  the  scale 
in  favor  of  Mr.  B." 

"  Is  it  really  necessary,  Mr.  Ophir,  to  slaughter  Senator 
C  ?    He  is  a  strong  man,  and  one  of  our  best  party  v^orkers." 

"  C  doesn't  suit  me." 

"  But  his  vote  is  needed  by  the  party.  Of  course  you  are 
aware  that  the  party  has  done  much  for  your  interests." 

"  And  I  have  done  a  great  deal  for  the  party.  You  know 
Sawder,  you  never  could  have  been  re-elected  last  year  with- 
out me.  Two  years  from  now  we  shall  put  you  into  the 
Senate  from  this  State.  It  is  safe  doctrine  you  know,  to  help 
those  that  can  help  you." 

"  That's  all  right,  but  I'm  sony  for  Senator  C.  He  is  a 
first-class  man." 

"  Yes,  but  he's  got  a  notion  into  his  head  that  nobody  is 
honest  but  himself.  He  wants  to  be  continually  nosing  into 
other  people's  business.  That  funding  act  of  his  cost  the 
Continental  &  Pacific  a  great  deal  of  money  before  it  was 
finally  defeated.  He  is  sure  to  bring  it  up  again.  He  must 
go.  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  Sawder,  the  railroad  interests  of 
this  country  will  not  consent  to  be  regulated  by  intermed- 
dling Bureaus  and  Commissioners,  and  have  their  private 
affairs  looked  into." 

"Then  you  consider  the  Continental  &  Pacific  as  private 
property  ? " 

"  Well,  it  amounts  to  that." 

"Still  we  must  be  cautious;  you  know  the  people  built 
these  roads  and  some  people  still  insist  they  ought  to  have  a 
say  in  controlling  them." 

"  That  shows  what  fools  they  are.  If  they  build  a  road 
and  give  it  to  me,  then  it's  my  private  property.  I'll  do  as  I 
please  with  it.    I'll  charge  what  I  please  for  freights.    If  they 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  313 

don't  like  it  let  them  grumble  all  they  please.  I  don't  see 
how  they  are  going  to  better  themselves  unless  they  choose  to 
haul  their  goods  by  wagon.  I  have  the  advantage,  and  I  in- 
tend to  keep  it." 

"  Certainly,  your  intei'ests  must  not  be  interfered  with.  I 
only  make  the  suggestion  that  caution  is  necessary.  How 
much  money  are  you  willing  to  spend  on  these  two  Sena- 
torships? " 

"  Let  me  see.  We  must  look  over  the  ground  carefully." 
Here  Mr.  Ophir  produced  a  thin  memorandum  book  contain- 
ing a  complete  list  of  the  members  of  the  two  legislatures  in 
question.  After  the  name  of  each  member  was  a  brief  ab- 
stract of  his  business  or  profession,  his  financial  standing,  his 
religion,  previous  record,  habits,  etc.  Ophir  began  reading 
this  roll. 

"  These  whose  names  are  checked  it  is  useless  to  approach. 
They  canuot  be  bought,  at  least  for  any  price  we  can  pay, 
though  I  think  sometimes  every  man  has  his  price."  Over 
half  of  the  names  were  checked.*  "  These  marked  with  a 
star  are  doubtful.  They  are  new  men  and  must  be  sounded 
carefully.  These  marked  with  a  cross  are  old  members  and 
all  right.  We  know  their  price.  There's  Q;  he  comes  from 
a  high-toned  community,  and  has  an  exaggerated  notion  of 
his  influence.  He  will  ask  five  thousand  dollars  for  his  vote, 
but  will  take  twenty-five  hundred.  In  fifteen  years  of  public 
life  I  don't  think  he  ever  got  more  than  that.  There's  Y — " 
and  Ophir  laughed  as  his  name  was  mentioned — "  he  is  a  seedy 
country  lawyer.  He  doesn't  know  how  to  hold  out.  He's 
always  afraid  he'll  be  left  and  get  nothing.  It's  a  waste  of 
money  to  offer  him  over  two  hundred.     There's  X  " — 

"  Hold  on,  Ophir,  I  don't  know  about  X.  I  am  slightly 
acquainted  with  him,  and  I  think  he  cannot  be  bought." 

"  I  happen  to  know  better.  Sawder.  The  last  time  our 
confidential  agent  of  the  Appalachian  line  went  over  the 
road  he  learned  that  X  was  engaged  in  a  petty  fraud,  by 
which  he  beat  his  school  district  out  of  one  hundred  dollars. 
X  is  all  right.     Now,  W's  case  is  different." 

"  W  stands  very  high  in  his  community,  and  is  a  member 
,of  a  strong  church  organization." 

"  W  is  a  good  risk.  He  is  none  too  honest  in  my  opin- 
ion, and  he  has  a  heavy  mortgage  on  his  property  to  fall  due 

♦Note  8.— Venality  of  Legislators. 


314  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

soon.     He    will    come  high.     We'll  wait  till  we  see  if  we 
need  him." 

And  so  they  ran  rapidly  through  the  lists  for  the  two 
States. 

"  It  will  take  about  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,"  re- 
marked Sawder. 

*'  Yes,  those  things  cost  more  and  more  every  year." 

*'  Do  you  want  the  same  old  parties  to  manage  it?" 

*'  Yes,  Sigma  may  go  to  Aries.  He  is  acquainted  best 
there,  and  is  a  personal  friend  of  Senator  A.  Let  Alpha 
take  C's  case  in  hand." 

"  Alpha  and  Sigma  are  both  in   Washington  now." 

"  There's  plenty  of  time  to  get  them  here  before  they 
are  needed.  Your  part  is  merely  to  give  them  these  data 
and  state  just  what  is  expected." 

"  Hickley  is  a  warm  friend  of  Senator  C,  and  he  will  be 
over  there  next  month  trying  a  noted  land  case.  Do  you 
think  he  will  give  us  away?" 

"I  think  not.  In  the  first  place  he  knows  nothing,  and 
in  the  second  place,  he's  not  liable  to  try  to  find  out  much 
as  long  as  he  has  in  his  possession  a  block  of  C  &  P  bonds, 
which  he  received  once  for  services." 

"  True  enough.     I  had  forgotten  that." 

The  two  men  now  rose  and  walked  into  the  front  room. 
Ophir  paid  for  the  cigars  and  they  left  the  place,  no  one  think- 
ing or  caring   anything  about  their  business. 

On  the  same  forenoon  Miss  Inglcdee  was  down  town 
shopping.  Toward  noon  she  called  at  her  father's  office, 
intending  to  go  out  and  take  lunch  with  him,  as  she  occa- 
sionally did.  It  happened  that  he  was  not  in.  Stepping 
into  his  private  office  she  sat  down  to  wait.  A  Japanese 
screen  that  folded  like  the  leaves  of  a  book  stood  near  the 
window  facing  the  street.  It  prevented  intrusive  eyes  from 
gaping  curiously  into  the  office  of  the  great  millionaire  from  ♦ 
the  outside.  Ciietta  passed  behind  the  V-shapcd  screen, 
seated  herself  in  the  window,  and  was  soon  absorbed  in  a 
new  book  she  had  bought.  It  was  a  very  popular  novel, 
and  certain  events  in  it  excited  a  most  intense  interest.  She 
read  for  some  time  with  such  absorbing  interest  that  she  be- 
came almost  oblivious  to  surroundings.  After  a  while  she 
became  aware  that  her  father  and  another  man  had  entered 
the  room  and  seated  themselves  not  more  than  ten  feet  away. 
At  first  she  thought  it   was  only  Roker.     He  would  leave 


AN    IRON    CROWN,  315 

in  a  few  moments,  and  then  she  would  suddenly  appear  and 
surprise  papa.  But  it  was  not  Roker,  and  after  awhile  she 
thought'  she  could  make  out  Ophir's  voice.  It  mattered 
little,  she  thought,  if  she  did  hear.  They  were  talking 
stocks,  bonds,  first  mortgages,  and  all  those  things  which 
women  seldom  try  to  understand. 

Chetta  felt  ashamed  of  her  situation,  but  would  have  now 
felt  still  more  ashamed  to  make  her  appearance.  Her  father 
would  be  greatly  offended  at  her.  What  if  he  should  dis- 
cover her  there?  She  held  her  place  and  listened.  The 
men  were  busy  talking  over  some  great  financial  undertak- 
ing. She  had  an  idle  curiosity  to  know  how  such  men  talked 
business. 

"  Ingledee,  are  you  fully  prepared  to  back  me  in  this 
movement?" 

"Yes,  I  think  so.  We  must  help  each  other.  I  may 
need  you  yet." 

« Of  course  I  do  not  expect  you  to  do  it  for  nothing. 
I  own  a  majority  of  Gridiron  stock,  but  you  can  get  plenty 
on  the  street  to  make  a  handsome  thing  on.  The  last 
six  per  cent,  dividend  was  an  unusually  favorable  show- 
ing. We  saved  everywhere  we  possibly  could,  and  held 
back  two  months'  pay  from  the  men  on  the  plea  that  we 
were  unusually  h:frd  up." 

"  And  probably  contributed  a  little  cash  out  of  your  own 
pockets,"  remarked  Ingledee,  drily.* 

"Exactly,  to  make  a  good  showing.  That  was  merely 
business,  you  see.  On  that  dividend,  and  a  little  stiffening  of 
the  market,  we  can  run  Gridiron  stock  up,  I  think,  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty." 

"  Easilv,  I  should  say.     What's  your  plan  on  the  drop?" 

"  Knock  the  pegs  out  at  one  blow  and  down  go  stocks  to 
seventy." 

«  And  the  lambs  that  miss  the  first  shearing  will  be  ready 
for  the  second,"  said  Ingledee,  with  a  hearty  laugh. 

"  Exactly.     Then  it's  settled?" 

«  Yes." 

"  That  Englishman,  Garmand,  and  some  of  his  friends 
are  short.  But  John  Bull  has  lots  of  capital  he  doesn't 
know  what  to  do  with."  The  two  men  rose  and  left  the 
office  together. 

*Note  9. — Bogus  dividends. 


3l6  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

Chetta  Ingledee  listened  to  this  conversation  with  aston- 
ishment. Was  this  the  way  her  father  made  his  money? 
Then  her  surprise  gave  way  to  indignation,  which  in  turn 
was  followed  by  an  overwhelming  sense  of  shame.  She 
had  seen  her  father,  whom  she  loved  and  honored  above 
all  others,  fall  from  his  high  estate.  Strive  as  she  would, 
she  could  only  consider  him  a  dishonored  man.  No  more 
could  he  be  to  her  the  trusted  idol  he  had  been.  She  quickl}- 
resolved  to  defeat  this  wicked  plot,  so  far  as  her  friends  were 
concerned.  She  would  warn  them  of  the  danger  at  the 
risk  of  offending  her  father.  His  purpose  was  wrong.  She 
owed  no  fealty  to  wrong,  even  if  it  was  of  her  father's  plan- 
ning. Suddenly  Chetta  recollected  that  it  was  not  safe  for 
her  to  remain  longer  in  the  office.  She  might  be  discovered 
at  any  moment.  She  rose  to  leave  the  room,  and  at  the 
same  instant  Mr.  Horace  Roker  opened  the  door  and  entered. 
Knowing  that  ISIr.  Ingledee  would  not  return  before  lunch, 
Roker  had  entered  to  get  some  memoranda  he  needed  in  pre- 
paring some  important  documents.  He  was  a  little  sur- 
prised at  meeting  Chetta  there. 

"You  here.  Miss  Ingledee?  This  is  quite  a  little  surprise." 
The  surprise  he  feigned  was  not  half  what  she  felt  at  his  very 
inopportune  appearance.     But  she  replied  carelessly: 

"  I  came  in  to  see  papa  awhile  ago,  but  I  believe  he  has 
gone  to  lunch."  Roker  was  puzzled.  He  had  just  seen 
Ingledee  leave  the  office  in  company  with  Mr,  Ophir. 
Through  the  open  door  of  his  own  office  opposite  he  could 
certainl}'  have  seen  any  one  enter  Inglcdee's  private  office. 
He  had  not  seen  this  woman  enter,  yet  here  she  was. 

"Have  you  any  message  to  leave,  or  is  there  anything  I 
can  do  for  you.  Miss  Ingledee?" 

"Nothing  at  all,  thank  you,  Mr.  Roker." 

After  she  was  gone,  Roker  sat  a  few  minutes  thinking. 
Here  was  some  mystery.  The  new  movement  to  be  made 
in  Gridiron  was,  of  course,  known  in  its  general  aspects 
to  Roker  as  confidential  private  secretary.  A  designing  man 
himself,  he  naturally  suspected  others.  His  eye  fell  on  the 
screen,  and  he  at  once  had  the  key  to  the  situation.  The 
girl  had  been  listening,  he  was  satisfied.  But  for  what  pur- 
pose? She  certainly  had  no  private  deals  of  her  own,  as 
some  ladies  had  unknown  to  their  husbands  or  fathers,  and 
which  involved  them  in  a  great  many  embarrassments.  She 
had  no  need  to  make  money  in  this  way.     Was  she  obtain- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  317 

ing  jnformation  for  some  one  else?  That  was  more  proba- 
ble, and  for  whom  could  it  be,  if  not  for  Tom  Norwell  ?  He 
was  satisfied  that  she  favored  Norwell,  and  his  own  prospects 
rested  chiefly  on  his  hope  to  be  able  to  drive  Tom  from  the 
field  in  some  way.  This  matter  was  worth  looking  into. 
If  she  had  obtained  such  information  for  Norwell  doubtless 
he  would  meet  her  soon  to  get  it.  Perhaps  that  very  even- 
ing as  the  most  convenient  time,  and  at  her  home,  where  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  calling.  The  chances  of  Roker's  learn- 
ing anything  definite  were  poor,  but  it  cost  nothing  to  follow 
up  his  suspicions  so  far  as  the  interview  that  evening  was 
concerned. 

Roker  put  on  his  hat  and  went  out  to  the  restaurant 
where  he  took  lunch  usually.  He  was  very  abstemious  in 
his  habits.  A  cup  of  coflTee,  a  roll  with  butter,  and  a  slice 
of  cold  meat  constituted  his  regular  lunch,  which  was  dis- 
patched to-day  in  fifteen  minutes,  ten  of  which  were  spent 
waiting  for  the  food  to  appear.  Leaving  the  cafe,  Roker 
indulged  in  a  stroll,  apparently  for  exercise.  By  chance  or 
otherwise,  he  happened  by  Pipe  Malley  &  Co.'s  store,  and 
dropped  in  ostensibly  to  purchase  an  orange.  Quill  Malley, 
with  much  cleaner  hands  and  face  than  usual,  recognized  his 
old  acquaintance  and  experienced  no  little  alarm  as  he  came 
forward  to  serve  the  customer,  hardl}'  knowing  whether  this 
was  private  business  or  a  commercial  transaction.  Pipe  was 
on  the  sidewalk  showing  a  customer  some  bananas. 

"  I  want  a  good  Florida  orange,"  said  Roker,  throwing 
down  a  quarter.  Then  in  a  lower  tone,  "  Never  inind  the 
change."  He  continued  rapidly :  "  Mr.  Norwell  is  quite 
well  acquainted  with   your  Sunday  school  teacher,  isn't  he?" 

"  I  guess  he  be." 

"  Calls  on  her  frequently,  doesn't  he?" 

"  I  reckon  he  does,"  said  Quill,  nervously  glancing  at  the 
door.     Then  he  added: 

"  Say,  Mister,  don't  give  it  away  to  Pipe.  He'd  about 
skin  me  if  he  knowed  it." 

"  All  right.  Could  you  find  time  to  be  around  her  house 
about  half-j^ast  seven  to  half-past  eight  this  evening?" 

"  Sence  I'm  workin'  fur  the  firm  it's  hard  to  git  oflf.  I've 
a  urrint  up  that  way  and  kin  make  it  if  I  play  it  that  I  played 
on  the  way." 

«  All  right,  play  it  that  way." 

"  Pipe'll  give  me  fits  I  reckon,  fur  it." 


3lS  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

As  Roker  passed  out  he  remarked  to  Pipe,  "Pretty  smart 
clerk  that  of  yours.     He  knows  his  business." 

"  Say  Quill,  wot  kind  o'  taffy  wus  that  feller  reclin'  off 
fur  ye  ?" 

"He  says  I'm  a  smart  clerk,  an'  I  reckon  he  knows." 

"  Well,  I  hope  I  never  see  anybody  so  fresh  as  you  be. 
Wy,  Quill,  he  was  makin'  fun  of  yer." 

"That's  the  way  you  alliz  talk  when  you  don't  want  me 
to  git  ahead  an'  be  partners." 

"  Quill,  you've  a  great  head  fur  that  partnership  racket. 
Fd  like  to  know  who  furnished  the  capital  fur  this  hyur  in- 
vestment, an'  who  first  rented  the  store,  an'  who  furnishes 
the  sand  fur  the  business?  When  you  have  all  them  things 
you  kin  be  partners.  That  chicken  was  jist  givin'  you  a 
breeze.  He  seen  them  ears.  In  spite  o'  everything  said  and 
done  them  ears  hain't  clean  yet  an'  them  socks — Quill,  pull 
up  them  socks." 

Quill  made  a  vain  attempt  to  pull  up  his  socks  to  meet  his 
pantaloons  which  daily,  with  the  boy's  rapid  growth,  receded 
toward  his  knees.  His  brother's  disparaging  remarks  hum- 
bled and  silenced  him.  Quill  was  conscious  that  he  had  not 
the  "snap"  of  Pipe,  that  he  could  not  run  their  little  business 
if  he  had  it.  Pipe's  criticisms  and  his  advice  which  seemed 
very  hard  to  take,  were  well  meant,  but  none  the  less  did 
they  wound.  Without  intending  to  be  a  tyrant,  Pipe  had  be- 
come a  merciless  one.  Such  was  his  ascendancy  that  Quill 
positively  dreaded  his  displeasure,  though  since  they  had  gone 
into  business  Pij^e  never  thought  of  physical  violence  to 
which  he  often  resorted  when  they  sold  papers  together. 
The  most  refined  tyranny  perhaps  in  the  world  is  that  which 
one  relative  may  exercise  over  another.  Its  stings  are  all  the 
more  poignant  because  the  victim  feels  that,  instead  of  cruel 
words  far  more  cruel  often  than  blows,  he  or  she  is  entitled  to 
love,  symjDathy  and  protection.  Pipe  meant  well,  but  some- 
times forgot  that  his  brother  had  feelings. 

Chetta  Inglcdee  went  home,  troubled  greatly.  It  pained 
her  to  think  that  her  father  would  do  a  dishonest  thing.  Was 
all  this  fabulous  wealth  the  result  of  such  miserable  trickery 
under  the  pretended  guise  of  business.''  She  despised  it  all 
and  hated  herself  for  enjoying  mone}'^,  so  thoughtless  of  its 
source.  Her  conscience  was  keenly  alive  to  right  and  wrong. 
She  was  miserable.  She  sat  and  thought.  Might  there  not 
be  two  sides  to  the  question  ?     Perhaps  her  father's  moneyed 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  319 

rivals  had  often  attempted  similar  dishonest  practices  directed 
against  him.  Yet  that  to  her  conscientious  mind  did  not 
make  it  right.  One  wrong  never  justifies  two  wrongs.  She 
reasoned  further.  Garmand's  name  had  been  mentioned. 
Why  should  she  warn  this  foreigner  who,  like  most  foreign- 
ers, was  anxious  to  make  something  out  of  the  Yankees.  As 
for  Tom  Norwell  he  had  little  money  any  way,  and  certainly 
knew  better  than  to  risk  it  in  Wall  street.  Then  the  treason 
to  her  father.  Her  filial  instinct  revolted  at  the  thought.  No, 
she  could  not  betray  him  if  he  were  wrong. 

Silas  came  in  before  dinner.  In  pursuance  of  her  father's 
wishes  and  her  own  inclination,  she  now  improved  every  op- 
portunity of  making  home  attractive  to  him  and  winning  him 
from  his  vicious  wa3's.  As  yet  she  had  met  with  no  percepti- 
ble success,  though  the  young  man  dined  at  home  oftener, 
and  twice  or  thrice  lately  he  had  accompanied  his  sister  to  the 
theatre  and  elsewhere. 

"  Silas,  do  you  think  you  will  ever  go  into  the  oflice?" 

'^  I  hardly  know  myself.  The  Governor  wants  me  to 
pretty  badly." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  the  business  any  way?" 

"  I  think  it's  a  rattling  good  business.  It's  a  good  deal 
better  than  a  news-stand,"  he  added,  with  a  laugh. 

"  I  don't  mean  about  its  paying.  Do  you  think  it  is  al- 
ways— isn't  it  sometimes — ?" 

"  Not  just  square,  Chet?" 

"  Yes,  not  precisely  honorable."  It  cost  the  sister  an  ef- 
fort to  use  the  word  honorable  this  way  in  connection  with 
her  father's  business.  The  brother  never  gave  it  a  passing 
thought. 

"  Chet,  I  advise  you  not  to  bother  your  head  about  such 
things.  I  don't.  So  the  dollars  flow  in  freely,  that's  enough 
for  me." 

"  But  then  suppose  Papa's  success  should  induce  others  to 
invest  and  lose?" 

"  They  needn't  do  it  unless  they  choose." 

"  But  suppose  some  of  our  acquaintances — for  example, 
Mr.  Garmand" — 

"Or  Tom  Norwell?  That's  all  right  too.  If  a  business 
man  has  a  good-looking  daughter  or  an  agreeable  wife  who 
brings  gentlemen  to  thehouse,  and  the  man  makes  money  out 
of  that  acquaintance,  what's  the  harm  ?  A  good-looking  daugh- 
ter may  be  a  great  advantage  to  some  men," 


320  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

The  bare  idea  of  using  friendship  for  so  base  and  merce- 
nary a  purpose  caused  Chetta's  cheeks  to  tingle  with  shame. 
But  the  brother  liad  only  expressed  bluntly  a  proposition  that 
after  all  might  rest  on  a  basis  of  truth.  She  could  not  help 
thinking  that  there  was  at  least  a  disagreeable  suspicion  of 
truth  lurking  around  it.  It  did  not  imply  any  set  purpose  on 
the  part  of  her  father,  yet  still  she  might  be  the  unconscious 
means  of  luring  men  to  certain  ruin.  She  shuddered  at  the 
possibilities  involved  in  her  present  social  surroundings.  She 
felt  like  a  traitor  to  her  father  for  having  entertained  the 
thoughts  she  had  against  him,  and  yet  reflection  told  her  that 
this  tumult  of  dissatisfied  feelings  arose  from  a  conscientious 
desire  to  do  right  in  spite  of  possible  consequences.  In  her 
rebellious  mood  she  hated  her  wealth  and  its  baleful  influences, 
and  loathed  the  insinuation  that  she  might  attract  men  into 
this  fatal  valley  of  Upas.  At  dinner  Mr.  Ingledee  was  in  an 
uncommonly  good  humor.  Silas  had  made  no  serious  drafts 
on  him  lately.  Doubtless  the  young  man  would  yet  come  to 
his  senses,  for  here  he  sat  like  a  dutiful  son  and  affectionate 
brother  at  the  family  board,  trying  his  best  to  perform  his 
social  duties.  If  Chetta  appeared  absent-minded  and  inclined 
to  silence  Mr.  Ingledee  never  noticed  it,  for  Silas  more  than 
made  up  the  deficiency  by  his  unusual  flow  of  spirits.  This 
girl  vv^ho  could  not  perpetuate  the  family  name  amoimted  to 
little  in  the  father's  eyes,  though  he  admitted  she  was  a 
handsome  woman,  as  she  presided  there  at  his  table  in  a  rich 
wine-colored  velvet  dress  with  a  flower  in  her  luxuriant  dark 
hail".  Perhaps  Silas  had  at  last  discovered  that  he  could  no 
longer  rely  on  his  fathei"'s  blind,  unreasoning  affection  as  a 
means  of  opening  the  parental  purse  to  all  sorts  of  wild  ex- 
travagance. At  any  rate,  he  had  the  tact  to  see  that  he  could 
recover  lost  ground  at  any  time  by  reformation  or  the  pre- 
tense of  it. 

As  Chetta  sat  after  dinner  looking  out  on  the  broad  avenue, 
and  watching  the  people  as  they  passed  beneath  the  street- 
lamps  before  the  house,  she  noticed  a  dark  figure  pass  up  and 
down  several  times  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street.  Some- 
times it  disappeared,  but  would  at  short  intervals  reappear 
again.  She  thought  little  of  this,  but  kept  musing  on  the  im- 
portant event  of  the  day — the  scene  in  her  father's  office. 
Finally  Chetta  remembered  a  shopping  errand  to  be  done  in 
a  neighboring  street.  For  such  trifles  she  often  went  herself 
instead  of  sending  a  servant.     Putting  on  her  cloak  and  hat, 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  32 1 

she  passed  out  of  a  side  door  and  reached  the  street  by  a  nar- 
row walk.  There  she  discovered  the  figure  which  had  been 
loitering  in  the  vicinity  to  be  her  hopeful  pupil,  Quill  Malley. 
That  young  gentleman,  who  was  partially  concealed  behind 
the  steps  of  the  next  house,  was  considerably  startled  by  her 
appearance. 

"  Why,  Quill,  is  it  you  who  have  been  walking  backward 
and  forward  here  for  the  last  half  hour?  Why  did  you  not 
ring  at  once?     What  do  you  want?" 

"Nothin',  said  Quill,  hanging  his  head.  "Jis'  thought 
I'd  take  a  walk  up  this  way." 

"  But  you  must  ring,  Quill,  when  you  want  me.  I  may 
not  see  you  if  you  don't." 

To  do  Quill  justice  he  felt  heartily  ashamed  to  think  he 
had  been  guilty  of  spying  on  the  best  and  almost  the  only 
friend  he  had  ever  had,  excepting  his  mother.  As  long  as  he 
watched  Tom  Norwell  and  earned  some  spending  money,  it 
was  a  very  easy  affair.  But  Quill's  convictions  were  not  very 
deep  or  lasting.  His  training  had  made  his  conscience  like 
that  of  most  of  his  class,  :very  elastic.  Then  Chetta's  supposi- 
tion that  as  a  matter  of  course  he  wanted  her,  furnished  a 
ready  means  of  escape  from  his  awkward  position. 

"  I  didn't  think  ye'd  want  the  like  'o  me  a  ringin',  Miss 
Ingledee." 

"  Quill,  when  you  have  business,  I  have  plenty  of  time. 
You  wanted  something?" 

"  Can't  say's  I  do,"  said  Quill,  considerably  embarrassed. 
Where  a  downright  fib  w  as  needed  to  bring  himself  out  of 
difficulties.  Quill  was  fertile  in  expedients.  But  he  could  not 
think  of  anything  plausible  just  then  to  account  for  his  visit. 
He  hesitated  to  tell  Chetta  an  out-and-out  lie,  bfesides,  he 
knew  she  could  see  through  an  improbable  fiction. 

"  Don't  things  go  right  at  the  store?  "  In  an  instant  he 
was  at  ease.     Here  was  a  topic  that  would   serve  his  purpose. 

"  No,  they  don't.     Pipe  gits  bossier  every  day." 

"  But  then  some  one  must  manage  thinga,''  she  said,  in  a 
tone  of  remonstrance. 

'•  I  reckon  they  must,  but  he  don't  give  a  feller  no  show 
'tall.  I  ain't  partners  and  he  is.  He's  got  the  capital  an' 
wants  a  hundred  dollars  from  me  afore  he'll  let  me  be  part- 
ners. So  he  keeps  a  jumpin'  on  me.  Wen  a  feller's  doin' 
the  best  he  kin  wot's  the  use  to  keep  alliz  a  settin'  on  'im?  " 

"  You  must  work  hard,  economize,  and  buy  an  interest." 


322  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Wot'll  three  dollars  a  week  do?  Three  dollars  a  week 
ain't  goin'  to  buy  out  any  business  very  soon." 

"  Does  your  mother  charge  you  for  board?  " 

"  She  ain't  yet,  but  I  guess  she  will  afore  long." 

"  Then  you  should  lay  by  one  dollar  every  week.  Give 
the  other  two  dollars  to  your  mother  for  board  and  repairing 
your  clothes.  At  the  end  of  a  year  you  will  have  saved 
fifty  dollars.  I'll  put  fifty  more  to  it  and  then  you  can  be- 
come a  partner." 

"A  year!"  exclaimed  Quill,  appalled  at  the  thought  of 
such  an  astounding  lapse  of  time.  "  I  never  could  slave  an' 
save  forever  and  make  a  misard  o'  myself  like  that.  No 
money  for  shows  an'  stuff!  Wot's  the  use  of  livin'  if  you've 
got  to  be  a  nigger?  I  reckon  Pipe  could  do  it,  but  tain't  my 
idee.     Spose  I'll  alliz  haf  to  work  on  sal '  ry." 

"Think  it  over,  Quill,"  said  Chetta  kindly,  as  she  started. 
*'  A  year  isn't  very  long  when  you  are  young."  Quill  started 
off  muttering  to  himself,  "Wonder  if  I  ain't  a  gittin'  old  every 
day  like  other  folks." 

Quill  was  wofully  behind  time.  Pipe  was  already  putting 
up  the  shutters.  He  greeted  Quill  with  a  shrewd  intimation 
that  the  other  twin  was  playing  off. 

"  Quill,  you're  gittin'  slower  than  m'lasses  in  Jenooary. 
You're  soldierin',  don't  tell  me.     You're  up  to  sumthin'." 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

MISUNDERSTANDINGS. GRIDIRON    SOARS. 

The  great  movement  in  Gridiron  stocks  was  inaugurated 
according  to  jDrogramme.  The  Gridiron  system  was  one 
which  had  been  graphically  described  as  beginning  nowhere 
and  running  nowhere.  It  had  a  perfect  network  of  road, 
located  in  several  Western  States,  and  each  new  extension  or 
consolidation  resulted  in  the  issue  of  a  few  more  millions  of 
stock  to  be  bought  up  by  a  confiding  public,  and  swell  the 
sum  total  of  the  good  Mr.  Ophir's  snug  pile.  Quite  a  flurry 
was  created  in  the  stock  market.  Other  securities  advanced 
in  sympathy.  The  shorts  were  unmercifully  squeezed. 
Among  them   was  Garmand,  who  had  asked  his  broker  to 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  333 

sell  foi-  future  delivery  a  large  block  of  Gridiron  at  a  figure  a 
trifle  below  market  rates.  In  other  words,  he  and  other  bears 
bet  that  stocks  would  rule  lower.  Settling  day  was  at  liand 
and  stocks  which  were  to  be  delivered  at  a  price  away  below 
par  must  be  bought  in  the  market  above  par.  Garmand  was 
nipped  to  the  tune  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Tom  Norwell, 
who  had  nibbled  around  the  Wall  street  bait  a  little  lately, 
was  not  caught  at  all. 

Garmand  called  on  his  friend  Norwell  to  get,  if  possible, 
a  little  consolation  out  of  the  present  unlucky  turn  of  fortune. 
He  was  very  rich,  however,  and  really  could  afford  to  lose 
fifty  thousand  if  he  chose.  He  was  a  regular  visitor  at  the 
Norwells  now.  Tom  was  a  confidential  friend,  and  the  com- 
pany of  two  such  charming  ladies  as  Alice  and  May  Bryce, 
doubtless  had  much  to  do  with  his  visits.  The  conversation 
in  the  presence  of  the  ladies  having  been  to  some  extent  on 
the  subject  of  stock  speculations,  Alice  suspected  that  Gar- 
mand had  met  with  losses.  Her  brother's  constant  inclina- 
tion to  take  great  risks  in  order  to  make  money  rapidly,  was 
a  source  of  apprehension  to  her.  She  feared  that  he  might  lose 
what  still  remained  to  him.  Wilson,  in  his  letters  to  Alice, 
frequently  referred  to  the  rapidity  with  which  he  was  grow- 
ing rich  out  of  the  Amazon  mine.  Doubtless  he  wrote  more 
fully  the  details  of  his  enterprise  to  Norwell,  for  .after  these 
letters  she  had  noticed  that  Tom  invariably  became  restless 
and  dissatisfied  with  his  present  condition  of  inaction. 

After  Garmand's  departure  Alice,  improving  an  oppor- 
tunity while  they  were  alone,  asked  Tom  if  Garmand  had  not 
lost  some  money. 

"  Yes,  some  fifty  thousand  on  Gridiron,"  answered  Tom, 
carelessly. 

"  Did  you  lose  anything,  Tom?  " 

"  No,  I  had  a  little  deal  on  the  other  side  and  made  a 
thousand.  Wish  I  had  put  in  every  dollar  I  could  raise.  I 
should  have  made  a  little  fortune." 

"  Oh,  Tom,  please  don't  try  speculation.  It  isn't  safe,  and 
it's  demoralizing." 

"  Especially  when  you  lose." 

"  Suppose  you  win,  it  isn't  right.  The  thousand  dollars 
you  got  is  one  thousand  lost  by  some  one  else  and  that  person 
got  nothing." 

"  He  got  his  chance,  and  that  is  all  I  had." 
But  the  system   is   wrong.     It  places  temptation  in  the 


324  AN    IRON   CROWN. 

way  of  clerks  and  poor  men  who  hope  to  win  money  easily. 
Many  a  youn*^  man  has  been  ruined  by  it." 

"  I'm  not  responsible  for  the  system." 

"  But  you  encourage  it.  And  you  know  that  it  brinors 
ruin  in  the  end.  The  clerk  takes  money  from  his  employer's 
drawer  to  bet  on  stocks.  The  man  on  salary  gives  the  broker 
what  he  sliould  spend  on  his  family." 

"  Sister,  where  have  you  been  studying  finance  and 
political  economy?     You're  a  tip  top  lecturer." 

"Oh  Tom,"  she  pleaded,  "  don't  talk  in  that  way.  You 
know  there  is  only  sorrow  in  store  for  those  who  indulge  such 
illusive  hopes.  Think  what  it  has  already  done  for  us!" 
She  thought  a  reference  to  their  father's  tragic  end  might  in- 
fluence him.  He  made  no  answer.  "  Think  of  the  moral 
wrecks — " 

"  Moral  wrecks!  Well,  that  is  a  good  idea.  Do  I  look 
like  a  moral  wreck,  sister?  Ha  ha!  I'm  a  pretty  comfortable 
wreck."  His  jeering  tone  pained  her.  He  went  on  after  a 
pause,  "  Well  Alice,  I'll  speak  in  earnest  if  you  wish  it.  I 
am  determined  to  make  my  fortune.  It  is  useless  for  you  to 
talk  to  me.  I  tell  you  I  will  have  my  own  way.  I  think 
you  are  not  competent  to  advise  me  on  this  subject." 

The  conversation  was  at  an  end.  Alice  Norwell  went 
into  the  little  back  parlor  where  May  was,  and  sat  down. 
Her  heart  was  full  of  anguish.  Her  brother  had  not  only  re- 
pulsed her  well-meant  efforts  for  his  good,  but  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life  had  been  positively  unkind.  Tears  welled  to 
her  eyes  and  trickled  down  her  flushed  cheeks.  May  who  had 
been  examining  the  engravings  of  a  book,  suddenly  looked 
up  to  show  to  Alice  something  of  special  interest.  In  her 
surprise  she  exclaimed: 

"  Alice,  dear,  you  are  crying.     What  is  the  matter?" 

"  I  am  foolish  to-night.  I  have  been  thinking.  That's 
all." 

"  But  you  must  not  think  of  such  disagreeable  things. 
There  is  something  wrong." 

"  It  is  nothing  much.  Sleep  I  think,  is  what  I  need.  I 
shall  retire."  Then  abruptly  bidding  May  good-night,  Alice 
immediately  went  to  her  own  bedroom. 

May  resumed  her  examination  of  the  engravings  when 
she  saw  that  Alice  had  no  confidences  to  bestow.  She  tried 
to  become  interested  in  the  book,  but  could  iiot.  She  laid  it 
aside.     It  was  her  turn  to   think.     What  could   have  hap- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  335 

pened?  She  left  the  brotlier  and  sister  quietly  conversing. 
There  had  been  no  loud  words,  apparently  no  quarrel,  and 
yet  there  was  some  serious  jar,  for  she  had  never  before  seen 
Alice  Norwell  in  tears.  Alice  was  not  the  sort  of  woman 
whose  eyes  are  a  kind  of  animated  sprinkler  set  to  work  on 
the  most  trivial  occasions.  Then  May  wondered  if  in  any 
way  she  could  be  connected  with  Alice's  grief. 

Since  coming  to  New  York  May  had  for  a  few  weeks 
been  in  a  new  world.  The  people  she  met,  their  habits, 
their  ways  of  life,  their  dress,  conversation  and  manners, 
were  all  new  to  her.  She  had  learned  a  great  deal,  and 
above  all,  one  to  her  very  important  fact.  She  could  never 
enter  this  social  fabric  and  become  a  part  of  it  fitting  into  her 
assigned  place  as  if  she  had  grown  there.  This  sweet  flower 
of  womanhood,  possessing  such  exquisite  tenderness  and  sim- 
plicity, could  no  more  have  sprung  up  in  the  artificial  atmos- 
phere of  a  great  city,  than  could  the  beautiful  water  lilies  of 
her  prairie  home  have  flourished  on  the  dry  beaches  of  Coney 
Island.  Nor  could  it  adapt  itself  to  anything  but  a  sort  of 
artificial  existence  amid  such  surroundings.  There  is  a  natural- 
ness even  in  being  artificial,  and  this  ease  of  manner  May 
despaired  of  ever  acquiring.  When  she  saw  the  stately  Mrs. 
Brownell  receiving  with  the  dignity  and  grandeur  of  a  duchess, 
she  felt  that  she  would  cut  but  a  sorry  figure  entertaining 
society.  May  was  quick  of  observation  and  facile  in  adapt- 
ing herself  to  circumstances  when  she  found  things  congenial 
to  her  tastes.  She  had  really  got  along  very  well  in  spite  of 
her  innate  dislike  of  this  cumbrous  social  code,  which  to  her, 
seemed  often  to  stand  in  the  way  of  natural  courtesy.  But 
her  extreme  sensitiveness  exaggerated  the  little  mistakes  she 
made.  She  constantly  feared  that  othei's  were  watching  her. 
She  was  naturally  very  sensitive  as  to  what  others  thought 
of  her,  and  for  a  friend  to  feel  distressed  at  any  fault  of  May's, 
usually  caused  her  more  anguish  than  it  did  the  friend. 

This  morbid,  over-sensitive  feeling  is  a  constant  source  of 
misery  to  its  unhappy  possessor,  and  unfortunately  often  grows 
almost  to  a  possessing  demon  unless  rigorously  kept  down. 
May  imagined  that  Alice  was  oflfended  at  her.  She  set  to 
work  to  find  a  cause.  She  retired  to  her  room  but  no  sleep 
came  to  her  wakeful  eyes.  There  could  be  but  one  cause, 
and  that  was  her  intimacy  with  Tom  Norwell.  But  their 
engagement  was  a  secret,  though  Alice  certainly  knew  they 
were  good  friends.     Why  did  she  not,  if  she  disapproved, 


326  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

show  signs  of  displeasure  sooner  instead  of  shedding  mys- 
terious tears  in  this  fashion?  May  tossed  restlessly  till  nearly 
midnight  but  coukl  make  nothing  of  it.  Sleep  was  impossi- 
ble. Her  active  brain  conjured  up  all  sorts  of  dire  possibili- 
ties imtil,  unable  to  lie  longer  and  endure  such  nervous  tension, 
she  rose  and  went  to  Alice's  room  and  knocked  at  the  door. 
Alice  too  had  lain  for  some  timt  thinking,  and  had  just  fallen 
into  a  light  slumber.  vShe  woke  with  a  start  and  called, 
"Who's  there?" 

"  Only  May.     Will  you  let  me  in  please?" 

"  What  do  you  want.  May?"  said  Alice  opening  the  door. 

"  I  couldn't  get  to  sleep.  I've  been  thinking,  so  I  came 
to  see  if  you  would  let  me  sleep  with  3'ou." 

"  Why  yes,  if  you  wish  it,  to  be  sure."  Alice  had  lighted 
the  gas  and  by  the  light  plainly  saw  May's  nervous  manner 
which  had  in  it  an  appearance  almost  of  distress.  This  beau- 
tiful young  girl  in  her  night  dress  had  never  seemed  to  her  so 
much  like  a  helpless  child  before.  She  embraced  May 
tenderly. 

"  Poor  child,  you  are  not  well.  Tell  me  what  you  were 
thinking  about.  I  fear  you  have  been  worried  about  some- 
thing." 

"  Alice,  you  must  think  I'm  a  ninny,  but  I'll  get  over  it 
now  when  I'm  with  you." 

They  turned  out  the  gas  and  retired.  Then  followed  a 
long,  confidential  chat.  It  was  not  long  before  Alice  dis- 
covered that  May  had  been  worrying  over  her  own  inexpli- 
cable tears  of  that  evening. 

"  Think  no  moi'e  about  it,  May.  It  was  nothing  of  any 
consequence." 

"  But  it  must  have  been  of  consequence  or  you  would  not 
have  cried  about  it,  Alice.  You  know  you  are  not  like  most 
girls.     I  never  saw  you  shed  tears  before." 

"•  They  were  causeless  tears  perhaps.  I  can't  tell  you, 
May.  Please  think  no  more  of  it."  In  her  loyalty  to  her 
brother,  and  respect  for  the  privacy  which  should  hold  family 
troubles  sacred,  this  sister  would  not  betray  the  brother's  weak- 
ness even  to  a  dear  friend.  Then  if  things  were  as  she  sus- 
pected, that  Tom  really  loved  May,  it  would  only  hurt  the 
feelings  of  his  beloved  to  no  purpose.  Alice  Norwell  looked 
with  approval  on  Tom's  attentions  to  May  Bryce,  and  no 
word  of  hers  should  ever  cause  trouble  between  them.  She 
little  thought  that  in   making  a  secret   of  what  really   might 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  327 

have  been  divulged  with  propriety  under  the  circumstances, 
she  was  laying  the  foundation  of  a  suspicion  that  would  cause 
her  friend  much  anxiety. 

"Don't  you  think  you  could  tell  me,"  said  May,  with  a 
hesitating  insistence.  If  she  was  the  cause  of  her  friend's 
grief,  she  thought  it  was  best  to  know  it  at  once.  "  You 
know  I  am — am  I  not  a  dear  friend?" 

"  Oh  yes,"  rejoined  Alice  hastily.  "  But  then  there  are 
things  best  not  to  be  told  at  all.  This  is  a  family  matter." 
Very  true.  And  there  are  people  who  foolishly  guard  with 
great  mystery  things  which  were  much  better  told  and  done 
with.  Little  people  are  happy  in  making  mysteries  of  little 
things.  Some  things  belong  to  ourselves  and  God,  some  to 
ourselves  alone,  some  to  ourselves  and  our  neighbors.  True 
wisdom  lies  not  in  revealing  all  or  keeping  all  secret,  but  in 
knowing  what  to  tell  and  what  to  keep  secret.  What  harm 
could  result  from  Alice's  mentioning  Tom  Norwell's  chronic 
desire  for  stock  gambling  when  all  the  world  knew  it  or 
could  know  it  if  it  chose?  Was  not  May  intei"ested  in  it? 
The  conversation  ended  and  Alice  was  soon  in  a  sound 
sleep.  But  no  rest  came  to  her  companion.  May  never  was 
more  wide  awake.  Alice's  mysterious  reference  to  a  "  family 
matter"  tended  to  confirm  her  suspicions  that  the  brother  and 
sister  had  in  some  way  quarreled  about  herself.  She  knew 
there  were  no  very  sure  grounds  for  this  surmise,  but  the 
thought  had  entered  her  head  and  there  was  no  driving  it 
out.  She  wished  now  she  were  in  her  own  room,  for  she 
dared  not  move  lest  she  might  disturb  her  friend.  The  clock 
struck  one,  two,  three.  Then  the  people  obliged  to  stir 
abroad  early,  began  to  make  noises  in  the  streets.  It  was 
utterly  useless  trying  to  go  to  sleep.  May  lay  quietly  and 
watched  the  first  streaks  of  dawn  steal  through  the  chinks  of 
the  shutters.  At  length,  not  knowing  how  or  when,  she  fell 
into  a  slumber  and  obtained  an  hour's  sleep.  She  rose  fever- 
ish and  ill  at  ease.     Alice  remarked : 

"  I'm  afraid  you  did  not  rest  well.  You  must  be  careful 
of  your  health  and  sleep  well,  or  our  Prairie  Flower  will  lose 
its  freshness." 

Tom  Norwell  thought  over  his  conversation  with  Alice, 
after  retiring.  But  his  vigorous  health  forbade  his  indulging 
any  morbid  fancies  or  tossing  restlessly.  He  merely  con- 
cluded that  he  would  ask  May  Bryce  and  see  if  she  was  an 
unsparing  foe  of  speculation   too.     If  his  future  wife  was  at 


32S  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

wide  variance  with  him  on  any  such  important  subject  as  this, 
it  might  be  best  to  know  it  at  once.  In  fact,  Tom  had  not  taken 
to  AHce's  advice  kindly,  because,  though  he  felt  in  his  heart 
she  was  right,  he  had  already  made  a  heavy  venture  in  Wall 
street.  His  money  had  been  kept  within  easy  reach  so  he  could 
get  at  it  and  take  advantage  of  opportunities.  When  Grid- 
iron stock  approached  par.  Wall  street  was  greatly  surprised 
at  the  strength  it  showed.  As  Mr.  Ophir  was  known  to  be 
the  largest  holder,  it  was  evident  that  he  was  forcing  the  stock 
up.  The  enormous  amount  of  improvement  going  on  in  the 
way  of  terminal  facilities,  and  the  building  of  new  lines 
seemed  to  argue  that  the  Gridiron  was  about  to  take  its  place 
as  one  of  the  first-class  systems.  In  that  case  the  stock  would 
become  permanently  valuable.  Norwell  determined  to  try  a 
deal  in  it.  He  invested  over  twenty  thousand  dollars,  almost 
all  the  money  he  had,  in  Gridiron  at  eighty.  The  stock 
crawled  upward  and  he  could  have  doubled  and  finally 
trebled  his  money.  His  broker  advised  him  to  sell  at  par. 
No,  Norwell  argued,  it  was  too  soon  to  sell.  The  stock 
would  go  higher  to  stay.  There  was  no  need  of  hurry. 
He  had  made  thousands  at  the  very  time  when  Alice  urged 
him  not  to  venture  anything  in  stock  speculation.  He  was 
right  and  she  was  wrong,  he  thought.  He  did  not  conse- 
quently feel  disposed  to  take  such  advice  kindly.  Although 
he  would  not  acknowledge  there  was  anything  wrong  in  such 
transactions,  he  would  like  to  know  what  his  sweetheart 
thought  about  it.  She  might  strengthen  his  position  by 
agreeing  with  him. 

At  breakfast,  the  ladies  did  not  seem  very  lively.  There 
was  a  constraint  about  the  social  atmosphere  that  lingered  in 
spite  of  Tom's  determination  to  be  good  humored.  Finally 
it  dawned  upon  him  that  things  were  not  mending.  He 
knew  Alice  was  in  a  huff  the  evening  before,  and  a  bitter 
thought  against  her  entered  his  mind,  as  it  occurred  to  him 
that  she  might  have  told  May  of  their  petty  quarrel.  He 
thought  that  if  she  had  done  so,  it  was  an  unkind  breach  of 
faith  with  him.  He  forgot  in  his  thoughtless  vexation  that 
he  was  concealing  from  his  sister  the  very  important  fact 
of  his  engagement  to  May,  which,  if  known,  might  place 
the  situation  all  i-ound  in  a  very  different  light.  He  de- 
termined to  ask  May  and  learn  the  truth  or  falsity  of  his 
suspicions.  He  soon  had  an  opportunity  during  the  tem- 
porary absence  of  Alice  on  some  domestic  duties. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  329 

"  You  are  very  quiet  this  morning,  Prairie  Flower."  Tom 
had  adopted  the  name  given  her  by  Young  Snicker,  as  one 
very  appropriate  and  beautiful. 

"  I  sometimes  have  quiet  moods,  Tom.." 

"  You  have  them  pretty  quiet  this  morning,"  he  said,  with 
a  laugh.  But  his  attempt  at  gayety  elicited  only  a  brief  smile 
that  indicated  anything  but  joy. 

"Are  you  ill,  May?     You  do  not  look  well." 

"  No,  I  did  not  rest  well  last  night." 

"  Tell  me  your  troubles,  little  girl,"  said  Tom,  placing  his 
arm  lovingly  around  her  waist.  "  There's  something  wrong, 
and  it's  my  duty  to  right  it  if  I  can."  It  was  evident  that 
whatever  the  trouble  might  be  it  did  not  arise  from  any  wan- 
ing of  her  love  for  him.  His  caress,  his  musical  voice  and 
his  kindly  manner  gave  her  a  thrill  of  pleasure  that  was  only 
too  manifest. 

"  I  am  always  happy  with  you,  Tom." 

"  But  you  must  not  worry  and  lose  sleep.  It  is  all 
foolishness  when  there's  nothing  to  woiTy  about.  There's 
Alice,  who  occasionally  gets  into  a  very  dismal  state.  You 
haven't  caught  it  from  her?" 

"  Oh,  I  think  not."  This  reply  was  not  very  hearty,  and 
Tom  suspected  that  he  had  been  right  after  all. 

"  I'll  bet  she  has  been  filling  you  with  some  of  her  dire 
forebodings,  eh?" 

«  No,  she  hasn't." 

"  What  did  she  tell  you?     Anything?" 

"  No,  she  refused  to  tell  me  anything,"  replied  May,  whose 
guileless  openness  was  unequal  to  steering  clear  of  something 
which  she  felt  it  might  be  best  not  to  talk  about.  Tom  was 
ashamed  of  having  suspected  his  sister.  Then  after  a  pause, 
he  continued : 

"  May,  I'll  tell  you  something  that  Alice  and  I  talked  over 
last  night.  Alice  is  opposed  to  my  speculating  in  stocks. 
She  thinks  it  is  not  right.  What  do  you  think?"  May,  in- 
tensely relieved  to  find  that  her  own  suspicions  had  been 
groundless,  was  happy  once  more,  and  thought  of  nothing 
but  her  lover. 

"  I  don't  know.     What  is  speculation  in  stocks?" 

Tom  was  disappointed.  It  was  not  to  be  expected  that  a 
majority  of  women  should  understand  the  mysteries  of  finance 
or  the  peculiar  transactions  of  the  Stock  Exchange.  But  here 
was  a  woman,  and  that  woman  his   future  bride,  who  did  not 


330  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

know  what  speculation  was.  He  involuntarily  thought  of 
Chetla  Ingledee.  Had  she  been  asked  such  a  question,  she 
could  have  expressed  an  opinion  at  once — a  decided  one  per- 
haps— and  have  backed  it  up  with  reasons. 

"  Stock  speculation  is — well,  in  fact,  it  is  buying  and  sell- 
ing railroad  or  other  stocks." 

"  What  harm  is  there  in  that  more  than  in  buying  or  sell- 
ing anything  else?" 

"  I  claim  there  is  none,  or  at  least  none  worth  speaking  of. 
Everybody  does  it." 

"  Why  do  they  say  there  is  harm  in  it?  If  you  pay  for 
what  you  get,  where  can  there  be  any  harm?" 

"  I'll  tell  you.  Say  I  buy  one  thousand  shares  of  Western 
Union  telegraph  stock,  and  pay  five  cents  on  the  dollar" — 

"To  bind  the  bargain." 

"  Well — yes,  it's  about  that.  If  it  goes  up  five  cents  I 
make  a  good  deal  of  money,  and  if  it  goes  down  five  cents  I 
lose  all  I  put  in." 

"  But  you  pay  as  you  go?" 

"  Yes — we  have  to  do  that." 

«  Then  I  think  Alice  is  wrong.  I  don't  see  any  haim  in 
it.  Father  often  buys  cattle  and  sells  them  again  before  he 
drives  them  home." 

Had  it  been  any  one  else,  Tom  Norwell  would  have  ex- 
perienced a  feeling  akin  to  contempt  for  such  ignorance,  as  he 
considered  it.  But  since  it  was  his  betrothed,  he  must  be  pa- 
tient. He  saw  the  utter  uselessness  of  continuing  this  subject 
further.  This  girl  evidently  understood  nothing  whatever  of 
the  principles  involved  in  the  subject  under  discussion.  He 
overlooked  the  fact  that  the  subject  was  one  which  she  had  no 
opportunity  of  understanding.  He  knew  perfectly  well, 
though,  that  if  he  explained  fully  just  what  speculation  was, 
and  gave  in  detail  all  the  insidious  and  dangerous  workings 
of  this  great  evil  which  has  penetrated  every  comer  of  our 
land,  thanks  to  the  telegraph,  and  which  has  ruined  so  many 
men  and  women,  and  brought  to  poverty  so  many  families 
who  were  accustomed  to  plenty — he  knew  that  if  she  under- 
stood all  this  her  keen  sense  of  right  would  cry  out  at  once 
against  this  monster  evil  of  specious  guise  and  genteel  associa- 
tions. But  she  understood  nothing  of  it.  He  was  annoyed  at 
her  simplicity,  and  for  the  first  time  realized  that  she  could  in 
some  things  never  be  his  companion.  This  particular  thing 
was  of  no  consequence,  had  he  not  gradually  learned  that  the 
whole  current  of  her  life  had  been  different  from  his. 


A>f    IRON    CROWN.  331 

"  Tom,"  she  said,  after  a  pause,  during  which  his  thoughts 
were  very  busy,  "  may  I  ask  you  a  question?" 

"  Certainly," 

"Ave  you  quite  sure  you  will  not  be  angry  with  me?' 

"What  a  question!"  he  exclaimed,  with  some  surprise,  as 
those  trustnig  blue  eyes  looked  up  to  his.  "  How  could  I  be 
angry  with  you?  What  is  it,  dear?"  he  said,  as  she  still  hes- 
itated. 

"  When  do  you  think  we  shall  be  married?" 

"That  is  hard  to  answer.  I  must  make  enough  money 
first." 

"  Couldn't  we  live  on  a  little?" 

"  Not  in  New  York." 

"  I  can  wait  a  long  time,  Tom,  for  you.  But  then  I 
thought  maybe  you  were  trying  to  get  too  much  for  me.  I 
don't  care  for  much.  Couldn't  we  live  somewhere  else  on 
less  money?" 

"  Yes,  but  my  opportunities  are  better  in  New  York.  I 
am  acquainted  here,  you  see." 

"  I  think  we  could  be  just  as  happy  on  a  small  income  till 
we  got  better  off." 

"  You  know  very  little  of  the  world,  May."  She  was 
silent  a  moment,  then  she  began:  "  I  should  like — that  is  if 
you  don't  care" — then  she  stopped. 

"  Well,  go  on,"  said  Tom  kindly. 

"Couldn't  I  tell  Alice  at  least  of  our  engagement?  It  is 
very  awkward,  you  know,  besides,  I  think  she  expects  it." 

"  I  shouldn't  tell  her  just  yet.  Alice  is  a  little  queer  some- 
times. She  may  object  and  make  present  arrangements  un- 
pleasant. Then  you  could  not  stop  in  New  York  very  well. 
It  is  a  great  bore  to  have  people  congratulating  you,  too. 
You  wouldn't  like  it.  May,  at  all.  The  fact  is,  I  have  a  deal 
in  which  I  hope  to  make  considerable  money  soon.  Then 
when  I  am  sure  of  it  we  will  declare  ourselves  to  the  world 
and  marry  as  soon  as  we  like.  We  will  surprise  them.  At 
present  it  is  better  as  it  is." 

"  Oh,  I  do  so  hope  you  will  succeed,  Tom.  You  know  I 
go  home  to  Illinois  next  week,  so  you  must  write  me  just  as 
soon  as  you  make  your  fortune.  Don't  wait  a  minute,  for 
you  know  how  I  shall  expect  it." 

"  Mustn't  I  write  till  I  make  my  fortune?" 

"  Yes,  indeed,  you  naughty  fellow,  you  must  write  every 
single  day,  or  I  shall  be  mad  at  you." 


332  AN    lUON    CROWN. 

And  tell  you  how  all  our  friends  are?" 

"Yes." 

"Gentlemen  and  ladies?" 

"  I've  no  doubt  vou  could  say  something  about  all  the 
young  ladies.  You  city  men  all  flirt  dreadfully.  But  if  you 
please,  Mr.  Norwell,"  she  said,  assuming  a  mock  severity,  "you 
are  on  your  good  behavior  so  far  as  young  ladies  are  con- 
cerned." 

"  Even  with  Miss  Snicker?" 

"  Yes,  or  Miss  Ingledee.  By  the  way,  Tom,  she  is  a  very 
old  friend  of  yours,  isn't  she?" 

"  Yes,  an  old  friend  of  the  family." 

"  And  a  pretty  good  one,  isn't  she?  At  least  she  seems 
to  me  to  be." 

"  Why,  yes,  I  hope  so,"  said  Tom  carelessly. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

RUIN,    UTTER    RUIN     AND    DISGRACE. 

The  movement  in  Gridiron  stock  engineered  by  Ophir 
and  Ingledee  had  affected  other  securities,  and  there  was  a 
sharp  advance  all  along  the  line.  Gridiron  stocks  soared 
higher  every  hour.  Thousands  of  shorts  were  badly  nipped. 
The  bulls  were  squeezing  enormous  sums  out  of  the  bears. 
Tom  Norwell  was  jubilant.  He  was  making  thousands, 
almost  hour  by  hour.  His  broker  urged,  pleaded  that  he 
should  sell  out.  Tom  was  carried  away  by  the  excitement. 
When  Gridiron  reached  one  hundred,  he  thought  it  would 
go  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five.  Suddenly,  and  without 
any  apparent  reason,  there  was  a  decline  of  two  or  three 
points.  Again  the  broker  said  sell,  but  Norwell  was  not 
alarmed.  Holding  steady  that  day.  Gridiron  dropped  heavily 
next  day  at  the  opening,  and  weakened  till  the  close.  Every- 
body was  puzzled — that  is,  everybody  except  the  old  operat- 
ors, who  suspected  the  nature  of  the  manipulation  going  on. 
The  broker  now  had  no  advice  to  offer.  Tom  determined 
to  hold  on  and  risk  the  chances  of  recovering  lost  ground. 

Next  day  stocks  dropj^ed  still  lower.  Norwell  became 
alarmed.     He  had  bought  at  a  rather  high  figure  after  the 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  333 

advance  began,  and  a  few  more  points  would  wipe  out  his 
profits  and  endanger  his  investment.  He  became  exceedingly 
anxious,  and  watched  the  quotations  as  a  man  struggling 
for  life  in  the  water  watches  the  approach  of  a  rescuing 
boat.  But  the  inexorable  figures  recorded  onl\'  disaster. 
Down,  down,  down  went  Gridiron  till  Tom's  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars  were  nearly  wiped  out.  Soon  the  broker  would 
demand  more  margins  or  close  the  deal,  and  with  it  close 
Tom's  hopes.  Norwell  knew  that  the  little  money  he  had 
remaining  available  was  scarcely  a  drop  in  this  seething 
Niagara.  He  stared  at  the  ticker  like  a  man  demented,  then 
would  rush  into  the  street  wildly,  only  to  rush  back  again 
and  look  at  the  slowly  crawling  paper  ribbon  with  the  quo- 
tations. There!  The  margin  is  gone  and  with  it  twenty 
thousand  dollars  original  investment  and  five -times  the  sum 
in  profits  since  the  highest  point  had  been  reached. 

In  desperation  and  with  trembling  fingers  Norwell  drew 
a  check  for  one  thousand  dollars,  and  put  it  up  as  additional 
margin.  The  confusion  and  excitement  were  indescribable. 
Men  acted  more  like  lunatics  or  wild  animals  in  a  stampede 
than  rational  human  beings.  It  was  every  one  to  save  him- 
self, if  possible,  though  hundreds  were  already  bankrupt  after 
enormous  losses.  Such  times  are  as  bad  as  battle  to  upset 
men's  sober  reason.  They  meet.  They  consult  excitedly. 
They  rush  to  a  neighboring  office,  then  rush  back  again, 
scarce  knowing  what  they  do.  They  delay.  They  resort  to 
artifices,  and  strive  to  gain  time  by  trickery.  They  shout, 
they  swear,  they  gesticulate.  But  the  inexorable  fate  in  the 
person  of  the  dreadful  ticker  cuts  one  by  one  their  puny 
threads,  and  down  they  sink,  to  rise  no  more  in  Wall  street. 
Only  the  men  of  uncommon  coolness  and  nerve,  backed  by 
experience,  manage  to  retain  complete  control  of  their  senses 
in  such  a  crisis.  Norwell  was  cognizant  only  of  a  frenzied 
determination  to  hold  on.  Everybody  felt  sure  that  stocks 
would  soon  rally.  The  broker  felt  confident  of  this  too.  If 
Norwell  could  only  hold  out  he  might  yet  save  himself. 

If  malignant  spirits  are  allowed  to  roam  this  earth  and 
tempt  weak  mortals,  as  many  estimable  people  believe,  ignor- 
ing man's  natural  fertility  of  evil,  one  must  have  whispered 
in  Norwell's  ear.  Just  around  the  corner,  in  the  vaults  of  a 
bank,  lay  Alice's  bonds, — twenty-five  thousand  dollars  in  first- 
class  six  per  cent,  securities  of  a  prosperous  Western  city. 
Tom  always  carried  Khe  key  of  the  vault  drawer.    It  occurred 


334 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


to  him  to  borrow  these  bonds  for  one  day  only.  Alice 
would  never  know  it,  and  was  he  not  justifiable  in  using  her 
money  to  save  his  own?  But  he  had  no  time  to  think  over 
the  matter.  The  ticker  was  busy  recording  another  decline. 
In  a  few  minutes  the  bonds  as  collateral  were  in  the  broker's 
hands,  and  Norwell,  confident  that  he  was  safe,  went  out  to 
lunch,  feeling  greatly  relieved  from  the  terrible  strain  under 
which  he  had  been  laboring. 

Meeting  Hickley  on  the  street,  the  two  went  together  to 
a  quiet  restaurant  several  blocks  distant,  a  fiivorite  resort  of 
the  lawyer's. 

"  Lively  times  in  Wall  street,"  said  Hickley,  as  they 
walked  along  the  quiet  street  which  led  to  their  destination. 

«  Rather  lively." 

"Are  you  in,  Norwell?" 

"  Somewhat,  yes." 

"I  couldn't  stand  the  excitement  of  such  business.  It 
would   kill  me." 

"Is  it  worse  than  politics,  Hickley?"  asked  Tom,  turning 
the  tables. 

"  Why,  of  course  it  is,  unless  perhaps  when  a  man  is 
running  for  President,  or  something  of  that  sort.  Politics  as 
a  trade  is  a  bad  enough  business." 

"Yes,  it  is  at  times  a  pretty  dirty  trade." 

"  But  no  worse  than  stock  gambling.  I'm  ashamed  of 
politics  myself,  Norwell,  and  am  trying  to  get  out  of  it. 
As  for  the  other,  thank  God,  I  value  my  peace  of  mind  too 
much  to  try  that.     How  do  you  stand  on  the  deal,  Norwell?" 

"  I' was  a  hundred  thousand  ahead,  but  I've  dropped  back 
a  little,"  said  Norwell  evasively. 

"  Close  out  and  keep  out.  If  you  had  come  to  me,  I 
might  have  given  you  a  pointer." 

"What?"" 

"I'll  not  say  what  since  you  didn't  come  in  time;  but 
you  know  I  am  attorney  for  a  certain  railroad,  and  what  I 
say  must  be  in  strict  confidence.  There's  a  nigger  in  the 
woodpile." 

"Who  is  he,  and  where  is  he?" 

*'No  matter  who  he  is.  I  can  only  guess.  Get  out  and 
stay  out." 

Before  the  close  of  business  the  concealed  African  gave 
the  woodpile  a  tremendous  shaking  up.  Out  of  his  mere 
Ethiopian  wantonness  he  sent  billets  flying  hither  and  thither 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  335 

like  leaves  before  a  gale.  His  sport  was  no  sport  for  the 
street,  and  several  small  firms,  with  one  or  two  large  ones, 
closed  their  doors.  With  a  rush  Gridiron  settled  to  its  old 
quotations,  which  it  had  maintained  for  several  weeks  before. 
When  the  hour  for  closing  arrived,  Tom  Norwell's  last  dol- 
lar and  Alice's  bonds  had  sunk  out  of  sight.  He  and  his 
sister  were  again  penniless. 

Norwell  was  so  completely  stunned  by  the  disaster  that 
he  could  scarcely  realize  what  had  happened.  For  the  first 
time  in  his  life  he  felt  ill.  He  felt  a  weakness  and  confusion 
of  ideas  that  he  had  never  before  experienced.  He  was  inca- 
pable of  thinking  coherently,  and  lacked  the  courage  to  dwell 
on  the  consequences  of  the  disaster  that  had  befallen  him. 
It  must  be  only  a  dream,  he  said  to  himself.  He  started  to 
walk,  mechanically,  not  knowing  or  caring  whither  he  went. 
Before  he  was  aware  of  his  direction,  he  found  himself  on  the 
wharf  at  the  Battery.  A  sudden  and  irresistible  impulse  came 
over  him  to  throw  himself  into  the  water  and  end  the  losing 
battle  of  life.  Then  he  thought  of  his  sister,  and  how  cruel 
and  cowardly  it  would  be  to  desert  her  in  her  poverty.  He 
began  walking  again.  At  last,  without  knowing  how,  he 
found  himself  far  up  in  the  outskirts  of  Brooklyn.  He  had 
crossed  the  ferry  and  paid  his  fare  without  being  conscious  of 
the  fact. 

He  returned  to  New  York.  He  was  gradually  regaining 
control  of  himself,  and  the  thought  that  constantly  tortured 
him  was,  "How  can  I  tell  her?"  Starting  up  town  by  some 
unknown  impulse  he  took  the  Bowery  instead  of  Broadway, 
and  branching  off  to  the  east  side,  soon  found  himself  at  Pipe 
Malley  &  Co.'s  store.  It  was  now  seven  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  and  he  remembered  that  Alice  would  be  anxious 
because  he  had  not  come  home  to  dinner.  Fortunately,  he 
recollected  that  May  Bryce  had  said  adieu  that  morning,  and 
gone  to  her  aunt's,  intending  to  leave  soon  for  Illinois.  He 
was  very  glad  of  it.  Now  the  wedding  must  be  deferred  a 
long  time.  His  misfortune  was  all  the  harder  because  it 
involved  loved  ones.  As  for  himself,  he  could  have  easily 
borne  it. 

Entering  the  store  Norwell  bought  a  couple  of  oranges, 
for  he  was  very  thirsty  and  tired,  as  he  all  at  once  realized. 
He  sat  down  and  commenced  to  peel  an  orange  with  des- 
perate calmness.  He  picked  off  every  little  fiber  of  adhering 
rind,    prolonging   the   operation   as    much    as   possible.     He, 


336  AN    IKON    CKOWN. 

dreaded  to  go  home,  and  this  trivial  employment  was  a  pro- 
crastination of  the  final  trial  which  he  must  undergo.  Pipe 
eyed  him  curiously.     At  length  he  said: 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  I'm  awful  glad  you  dropped  in.  I  want 
to  ask  your  advice,  'cos  I  know  you  kin  tell  me." 

"What  is  it  Malley?  "  asked  Tom,  without  looking  up. 

"  Do  you  know  any  capitalist  as  could  negotiate  an'  loan 
a  feller  twenty-five  dollars?  " 

Looking  at  the  boy  Norwell  saw,  what  under  other  cir- 
cumstances he  would  have  noticed  at  first,  that  Pipe  appeared 
ill  at  ease.  The  young  man  had  nervously  dusted  the  counter, 
and  looked  in  the  money  drawer  several  times  with  no  ap- 
parent object. 

"  Well,  I  don't  know.  Pipe,"  said  Tom.  "  I  suppose  that 
means  that  you  are  asking  me  for  a  loan?" 

"  I  reckon  that's  about  the  size  of  it.  It's  awful  cheeky, 
I  know,  but  3'ou  see  you're  more  like  an  old  friend  than  any- 
body I  knows  that's  got  money.  Fact  is,  I'm  in  a  fix.  I've 
got  some  paper  out  an'  I  got  ter  raise  twenty-five  dollars 
more  to  meet  it."  Pipe  spoke  of  having  paper  out  with  a 
conscious  pride  that  his  mercantile  transactions  had  grown 
to  such  an  extent  that  they  could  not  be  managed  any  longer 
on  a  cash  basis.  Judging  from  his  evident  anxiety,  however, 
he  would  gladly  have  exchanged  the  doubtful  honor  of 
having  paper  out  for  the  paper  itself.  "  You  see  if  I  don't 
meet  it  them  bank  roosters  won't  wait  a  minnit.  They'll  put 
it  into  a  potest,  an'  then  my  credit's  gone  up  higher'n  a  kite." 

"  I  see,"  said  Tom  reflectively,  as  he  began  peeling  a 
second  orange. 

"  1  kin  git  it  from  mother.  She  has  mor'n  that  tied  up  in 
a  flannen  rag,  but  I  ain't  the  kind  to  go  spongin'  on  my 
mother  'nless  I  have  to.  If  I  can't  raise  it — but  there's  no  use 
talkin'  that  way,  I've  ^0/  to  raise  it — wy  I  'spose  I'll  have  to 
call  on  her  fur  it."  Tom  took  out  his  pocketbook.  There 
was  some  two  hundred  dollars  in  it,  which  he  had  forgotten 
in  the  excitement  of  the  day,  or  that  too  would  have  gone. 

"  Here  is  twenty-five  dollars.  Pipe.  I  should  be  sorry  to 
see  you  in  trouble.     Pay  me  when  you  can." 

"Thank'ee,  Mr.  Norwell.     I'll  write  a  note." 

"  That's  all  right,  Malley,  I  want  no  note.  What  is  this 
debt  for.  Pipe?" 

"  Well  you  see,  I  bought  a  stock  of  goods  part  cash,  an' 
give  a  note  fur  the  balance.     Biz  was  good  an'  chink  come  in 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  337 

like  dirt.  It  looked  so  j^lenty  that  I  put  twenty-five  into 
stocks,  an'  the  ttnnble  jlst  about  knocked  that  out  first  round. 
The  broker  says  I  ought  to  have  twenty-five  more  to-morrer, 
or  the  whole  thing's  gone  up.  I  can't  raise  it  an'  pay  the 
note  too." 

"  Pipe  Malley,  take  my  advice.  Let  that  deal  go  and 
never  take  another.  Keep  the  twenty-five  dollars  to  pay 
your  note." 

"Wot!  an  lose  wot's  in?" 

"  Yes,  you  will  probably  lose  it  any  way. 

"  But  the  broker  says  he  thinks — " 

"  Pay  no  attention  to  the  broker.  Keep  clear  of  him  in 
future."  Something  in  Norwell's  manner  aroused  Pipe's 
suspicions. 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  was  you  in  too?  " 

"  Yes,  and  got  nipped  too.  I  tell  you  this  hoping  it  will 
influence  you  to  keep  out." 

"  I'm  awful  sorry.      Was  you  nipped  bad?  " 

«  Pretty  badly." 

"Awful  bad?" 

"Yes  bad  enough,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  It's  a  ding  rotted  shame  the  way  them  Wall  street  chaps 
cheats  honest  fellers  like  us.  Say,  Mr.  Norwell,  if  you  got 
nipped,  mebbe  you  need  this  money?" 

"No,  Pipe,  not  if  it  will  save  you  from  the  sheriff; 
keep  it." 

"  But,  if  I  let  that  deal  flicker,  I  don't  need  it.  I  kin 
squeeze  through  on  the  note.  Take  back  yer  money.  Mister 
Norwell.  I  wouldn't  take  it  from  you  fur  anything  in  the 
world  under  them  circumstances." 

"Just  as  you  say,  Malley." 

"  I'd  a  heap  ruther  you  would." 

Norwell  pocketed  the  money,  and  commenced  his  journey 
homeward,  the  saddest  of  his  life.  Mr.  Pipe  Malley  went 
home  that  evening  in  no  very  amiable  mood.  As  Pipe,  Mrs. 
Malley,  and  Quill  were  gathered  round  the  breakfast  table 
next  morning,  it  was  evident  that  sleep  had  not  fully  restored 
serenity  to  the  head  of  the  house,  Pipe  having,  by  general 
consent,  gradually  risen  to  that  responsible  dignity.  After 
an  interval  of  silence,  during  which  Pipe  had  been  laboring 
assiduously  with  a  large  slice  of  ham  and  two  eggs  turned, 
that  young  gentleman  renewed  the  conversation: 

"  We  can't  stand    no  sich  extravagance  as  this,  mother. 


33S  AN    lUOX    CROWN. 

Look  at  this  ere  lay  out,"  and  he  hiid  down  his  knife  and  fork 
to  survey  the  table.  "  Ham,  an'  ec^gs,  an'  Initter,  an'  cream,  an' 
sugar,  all  to  wunst.     We're  livin'  too  high." 

Mrs.  Malley,  who  was  pouring  out  her  third  cup  of  coffee, 
set  down  the  coffee  pot  in  amazement.  Quill,  who  was  just 
in  the  act  of  sticking  his  fork  into  a  third  fried  egg^  received 
such  a  start  that  he' almost  dropped  the  egg  on  the  tablecloth. 
He  managed,  however,  to  land  it  dexterously  on  his  plate, 
when  he  paid  no  futher  attention  to  the  egg,  but  made  a  furi- 
ous onslauglit  on  the  "heel"  of  a  loaf,  which  portion  ordi- 
narily his  epicurean  taste  was  inclined  to  reject.  It  might  be 
sound  polic}'  to  eat  crust  this  morning  as  a  ruse  to  divert 
Pipe's  attention  from  the  riotous  luxury  surrounding  him. 

"  Dear  me  suz,  Pipey.  I  don't  see  any  high  livin'.  Pve 
always  had  plenty,  an'  I'm  alv/ays  goin'  to  have  it  while  I'm 
able  to  work." 

"But  I  tell  ye,  mother,  high  livin'  costs  like  fun,  an'  be- 
sides, it  ain't  healthy.     The  doctors  all  say  so." 

"Lord  help  me  boy,  where  do  you  see  any  high  livin'.'' 
Just  name  the  article,  won't  ye.?" 

"  Well,  there's  Quill  jist  gittin'  away  with  the  third  egg.''^ 
That  gentleman's  little  stratagem  with  the  crust  had  proved 
a  miserable  failure.  He  had  wrenched  his  jaw  all  to  no  pur- 
pose. He  muttered  something  about  "  likin'  a  negg  as  well 
as  anybody." 

"  Bettern'  anybody,"  growled  Pipe. 

"  Now,  Pipe,  you're  in  a  bad  humor  this  mornin'.  You'd 
better  swaller  your  breakfast  an'  light  right  out  to  yer  work, 
an'  you'll  feel  belter  by  noon.  If  Quill  wants  three  eggs  he's 
goin'  to  have  'em  as  long  as  I'm  able  to  cook  'em,  mind  that 
now." 

"  I  tell  ye  three  eggs  ain't  healthy.  Any  doctor  will  tell 
ye  that." 

"  Bad  luck  to  the  doctors.  T  ain't  livin'  for  doctors.  When 
your  poor  fayther  was  took  what  did  the  doctors  do?  Nothin' 
but  send  in  their  bill.  Faith  boy,  is  it  starvin'  us  you  are 
goia'   to  try?  " 

"  Yer  not  goin'  to  starve,  mother;  yer  sweetenin'  the  third 
cup  o'  coffee  now.  Two  cups  is  enough  fur  anybody.  Coffee 
perduces  effects  in  the  stummick,  an'  most  likely  in  the  lights 
too." 

"  Pipe,  I  think  yer  clean  gone  out  o'  yer  senses.  Yer 
talkin'  like  a  crazy  man.     Do  you  think   I'd   do  without  me 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  339 

coffee?  It  never  hurt  my  lights.  An'  if  it  did,  I'm  not 
savin'  me  hghts  to  will  to  somebody.  I'm  a  usin'  'cm  myself. 
I'll  not  care  for  'em  when  the  rest  of  me's  done,  I  guess. 
But  yer  jawin'  like  an  old  man  with  the  rheumatiz.  What's 
the  matter  with  ye  this  mornin'?" 

"  I  can't  stand  sich  extravagance.  Cos  I'm  in  business  I 
hain't  a  millionaire  yet.     I've  got  some  paper  to  meet." 

"  Wrappin' paper  is  it?  Sure  me  boy,  111  lend  ye  some  o' 
me  laundry  paper." 

"  VVrap2:)in'  paper! "  said  Pipe,  exhibiting  mingled  pity 
and  disgust.  "  Mother,  it  ain't  much  use  to  tell  you  or 
Quill  anything  about  business.  But  then  of  coui^se  you  never 
was  in  business,  an'  hain't  expected  to  know  wot  paper  is. 
Paper  is  notes.     I  got  a  note  to  meet  to-day." 

"  To  meet,  did  you  say?  " 

«  Yes,  to  pay." 

"  Notes  is  a  bad  business,  Pipey.     How  much  is  the  note?" 

"  Twenty-five  dollars."  Pipe  named  the  amount  of  this 
enormous  obligation  with  a  stress  that  seemed  to  swell  the 
sum  total  to  twenty-five  thousand. 

"  Ah,  Pipe,  it's  a  bad  day  when  you  make  debts.  How 
did  you  ever  get  into  debt  head  over  heels  like  that?  Take 
warnin'  by  yer  fayther.  Five  hundred  dollars  doesn't  grow 
on  bushes.  Yer  fayther  throwed  money  round  like  he 
owned  a  mint.  It  went  into  whiskey  in  the  wholesale  lick- 
er  trade,  though  I  think  a  deal  of  the  stuff  went  retail,  an' 
then  by  bad  debts  an'  by  hook  an'  crook  he  failed  intirely  and 
left  us  all  without  a  cent.  Misfortune  sent  yer  poor  fayther 
to  the  graveyard.  Pipe,  how  did  ye  ever  do  it?  How 
could  ye  get  into  debt  like  that?" 

"  I  tell  yer  it  takes  capital  to  carry  on  a  business.  Now 
it's  done,  an'  that's  the  main  thing." 

"  Pipe,  don't  worry  any  more.  I've  three  times  the  sum 
all  in  clean  gold.     I'll  loan  you  twenty-five." 

"  No,  mother,  I  can  squeeze  along  without  it  somehow. 
I  won't  borrow  money.  It  hain't  safe  to  do  business  on 
borrered  capital.  I  can't  pay  Quill's  salary  for  two  weeks, 
mebbe,  an'  I  guess.  Quill,  you'll  have  to  pack  that  'ere  last 
consignment  of  oranges  up  from  the  wholesaler's.  They'll  be 
invoisted  to  us  to-day.     So  git  yer  hat,  we  must  be  stirrin'." 

With  this  Pipe  went  into  the  front  room  looking  for  some- 
thing. The  last  fried  ^%%  was  lying  on  the  plate.  Quill 
had    furtively    cast   longing  eyes  on  it  for  some  time.     Mrs. 


34° 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


Malley,  with  a  mother's  instinct,  read  his  wishes  in  his  face. 
Scarcely  had  Pipe  turned  his  back  before  she  took  uj)  the  dish 
and  a  knife  and  giving  the  cg^  a  dexterous  turn,  landed  it  on 
his  plate.  At  two  bites  it  had  disappeared,  but  being  fried 
rather  hard  the  e'^g  refused  to  go  down  readily.  This  was 
an  emergency.  Pipe  was  waiting  and  they  must  go  to  the 
store.  But  Quill's  long  experience  in  such  exigencies  brought 
him  through  triumphantly,  as  it  had  done  many  times  before. 
A  great  gulp  of  cold  coffee  did  the  business,  and  hastily 
wiping  his  mouth  with  the  back  of  his  hand,  Quill  joined 
Pipe  outside. 

On  that  eventful  evening,  Tom  Norwell  reached  home 
about  eight  o'clock.  His  sister,  who  had  been  surprised  at 
his  not  appearing  in  time  for  their  dinner  at  six,  finally  con- 
cluded that  he  had  been  detained  on  business.  Meeting  him 
at  the  door,  she  inquired: 

"What  delayed  you,  Tom?  I  expected  you  at  dinner." 
"  I  think  I  did  not  start  as  early  as  usual,  Alice,"  he  re- 
plied in  a  husky  voice.  He  took  off  ^lis  hat,  and  instead  of 
hanging  it  on  the  rack,  stood  hokling  it  in  his  hand.  She 
saw  at  once  there  was  something  the  matter.  He  could  not 
face  her  and  conceal  the  agony  he  was  suffering.  "  Brother, 
what  is  the  matter?  You  are  ill?"  She  took  his  hat  and  hung 
it  on  the  rack.  Then  he  followed  her  mechanically  into  the 
small  parlor.  As  the  full  light  of  the  gas  fell  on  his  face 
she  could  see  that  he  was  suffering  keenly.  A  few  hours 
had  drawn  deep  lines  on  his  brows  and  around  the  mouth. 
A  stranger  would  scarcely  have  recognized  his  haggard 
countenance. 

"  Tom,  you  are  ill,"  she  said  anxiously.  "  What  is  it?" 
"  I  think  I  have  over-exerted  myself  to-day," 
He  dared  not  look  her  in  the  face  as  he  told  this  poor 
miserable  lie,  the  first  of  his  life.  He  felt  that  his  dreadful 
confession  must  be  made  then  and  there,  but  every  moment 
of  respite  was  sweet.  He  would  willingly,  yes  gladly,  have 
died  to  make  reparation  to  this  sister,  who  was  so  dear  to 
him. 

"  I'll  get  you  some  sponge  cake  and   wine." 

"  Oh,  no,"  he  said,  in  a  tone   which  to  her  ear  was  full  of 

anguish.    «  I  couldn't  eat  anything — I  think — I  am  not  well." 

"Tom,  what  is  it?"  she  said,  drawing    close  to  him    and 

placing  her  hand  on  his  shoulder.     Then,  as  she  remembered 

that  there  had  been  a  flurry  in  Wall  street,  she  asked: 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  34I 

"  Is  it  stocks?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Tom,  with  a   moan. 

"  I've  feared  this  for  a  long  time."  Tlien,  in  a  gentler 
tone,  she  asked : 

"Is  it  bad?" 

«  Everything." 

"  Poor  bov,  certainly  something  is  left." 

"Nothing.  I  put  in  every  dollar.  I'm  a  beggar."  Still 
he   dared  not  tell   her  all. 

"Well,  Tom,  lam  just  as  son"y  as  you  are.  It  isn't 
much  comfort  now  to  talk  about  looking  at  the  bright  side  of 
things.  But  then  we  haven't  lost  everything,  and  you  shall 
share  mine.  We  can  both  get  along  on  that  till  you  find 
something   to   do." 

"Oh,  sister,  don't  talk  of  sharing,"  he  groaned.  There 
was  a  pause,  and  she  replied  in  a  confused  way,  dimly  real- 
izing the  import  of  his  remark: 

"  Tom,  I  don't  understand  you." 

"There's  nothing  to  share,  sister.  I'm  a  base  villain; 
I've  robbed  you.  Dear  sister,  you  ai'e  a  beggar,  and  I'm 
the  cause  of  it."  His  tone  was  piteous.  He  was  not  depre- 
cating her  just  anger  like  a  coward,  but  only  giving  way  to 
the  pent-up  feelings  of  contrition  that  welled  in  his  heart. 
After  a  moment's  pause,  during  which  he  awaited  his  sen- 
tence, she  began  in  a  tone  of  hot  indignation: 

"  And  you  have  done  this;  you,  my  own  brother.  I  told 
vou  it  would  come  to  this,  but  you  laughed  at  my  fears  and 
my  tears.  I  told  you  it  made  men  paupers,  and  what  is 
worse,  rogues,  liars,  and  thieves — yes  thieves,"  she  added,  in 
a  hard  tone. 

"  I  am  to  blame.  I  have  robbed  you,"  was  his  only 
answer. 

"And  I  warned  you,  too." 

"I  know  you  did.  You  need  not  spare  me.  I  don't  de- 
serve it." 

"  To  think  it  should  come  to  this,  that  men  will  steal 
bread  from  their  wives  and  children  and  sisters.  God  cer- 
tainly will  curse  such  doings." 

"Alice,  I  did  wrong.  I  deserve  no  longer  your  respect, 
but  the  word   thief  is  a  hard  one." 

"  What's  the  use  of  mincing  words?" 

"  There's  none.  Let  it  stand.  Some  day  you  may  be 
sorry   for    saying    it.     If   God    gives    me  life  and   strength,  I 


342  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

will  pnv  you  every  cent.  I  shall  never  forget  that  vou  were 
once  my  sister."  He  turned  to  leave  the  room.  She  tried 
to  stop  him. 

"  Oh,  Tom,  dear  brother,  don't  go  away  like  that.  I 
was  angrv,  and  spoke  too  hastily.  Come  back."  He  never 
seemed  to  hear  her  at  all,  but  taking  his  hat,  walked  slowly 
into  the  street. 

"  I  was  too  hasty.  He  was  sorely  tempted.  I  ought  to 
have  carried  the  key  of  the  vault  drawer  myself.  Oh,  the 
miserable  money!  I  have  lost  my  brother,  my  only  dear  one. 
Aloney  always  brings  us  a  curse."  She  sank  into  a  chair  and 
wept  tears  of  bitter  sorrow. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


A    FRIEND    IN    NEED. 


Next  morning  at  breakfast  they  sat  for  a  long  time  in 
silence.     At  length  Alice  said: 

"  Tom,  I  wouldn't  w^orry  about  the  money.  We  are  both 
young  and  strong.      We  can  easily  get  along." 

"  I  care  nothing  for  myself,  Alice.     It's  only  for  you." 

"  Let  us  forget  all  that.  Forgive  me  for  saying  what  I 
did  last  night.  I  was  hasty.  Won't  you  forgive  me?"  she 
repeated,  as  he  made  no  answer. 

"  I  think  you  were  very  hard  on  me  Alice,  even  if  I  had 
done  you  a  great  wrong.  I  will  keep  my  word  and  repay 
you  every  cent." 

"  Let  us  not  talk  of  the  money,  Tom,  only  say  you  for- 
give me." 

"  Yes,  Alice,  I  forgive  3'ou,  though  it  is  I  who  should  beg 
forgiveness.     We'll  say  no  more  about  it." 

But  in  s^oite  of  his  words.  Which  were  fair,  Alice  felt  that 
an  estrangement  had  begun  between  her  and  her  brother. 
He  full}'  realized  the  wrong  lie  had  done,  but  her  sharp 
words  had  cut  like  a  knife  and  wounded  his  pride.  lie  could 
never  meet  his  sister  again  on  equal  terms  till  he  repaid  her 
what  he  had  lost  of  hers. 

The  Norwells  were  again  very  poor.  They  made  ar- 
rangements   to    give    up    their    comfortable  apartments,  and 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  343 

board  in  a  cheap  locality  where  living  was  less  expensive. 
Alice  resolved  that  she  would  now  continue  her  studies  in 
short-hand  and  prepare  to  make  her  ov^^n  living.  When 
Chetta  Tngledee  htjard  of  their  ill-luck  she  was  in  deep  dis- 
tress. She  regretted  that  she  had  not  gone  directly  to  Tom 
and  warned  him  of  danger.  Obedience  to  parents  is  a  sacred 
duty  and  the  ties  of  kindred  enjoin  the  patriotism  of  blood, 
which  is  next  to  the  love  of  country.  But  there  arc  times 
when  loyalty,  even  to  2:>arents,  may  be  a  crime  instead  of  a 
virtue.  This  was  such  an  occasion.  As  Chetta  thought  that 
a  call  upon  Alice  would,  at  the  present  time,  probably  be  re- 
ceived in  rather  bad  grace  she  determined  to  reach  Tom  more 
directly.  So  she  invited  him  to  call,  ostensibly  with  reference 
to  the  arrangements  for  a  social  affair  she  had  in  hand. 

Tom  came  and  passed  an  hour  or  so  very  pleasantly. 
Chetta  was  very  kind.  Finally,  she  alluded  to  the  late  finan- 
cial crisis  and  remarked  that  she  had  heard  that  some  of  her 
friends  were  caught  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  market. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  with  as  cheerful  an  air  as  he  could  assume. 
"  Some  of  us  did  get  slightly  worsted." 

"  Were  your  losses  heavy,  Mr.  Norwell?  " 

"  Much  heavier  than  I  can  afford,"  he  replied,  making  no 
attempt  at  concealment  from  one  whom  he  felt  was  after  all 
perhaps  the  most  sympathetic  and  appreciative  friend  he  had 
in  the  world. 

"  I'm  very  sorry.     Such  things  are  not  right." 

"  I  blame  no  one,  Miss  Ingledee.  I  was  unfortunate,  that 
was  all." 

As  best  she  could,  on  this  delicate  subject,  Chetta  poured 
the  balm  of  sympathy  on  his  disappointed  feelings.  There 
was  no  effusive  bubbling  of  hyperbolic  adjectives.  He  felt 
tliat  her  sorrow  for  his  misfortune  was  real.  Then  with  it 
came,  all  of  a  sudden,  the  revelation  to  his  soul  that  this 
woman  could  understand  his  nature  and  sympathize  with  it 
as  no  other  could.  With  it  came  the  warning  that  he  was 
scarcely  loyal  to  May  Bryce,  even  in  harboring  such  a  thought, 
and  that  it  was  not  best  for  him  to  meet  Miss  Ingledee  often. 

Before  he  left,  Chetta  inquired  about  Alice  and  her  friend 
May  Bryce,  and  why  they  had  not  called  upon  her.  Tom 
was  scarcely  prepared  to  explain  satisfactorily  why  they  had 
failed  to  call,  and  was  slightly  embarrassed  by  the  question. 
In  truth,  he  had  never  encouraged  his  sister  to  take  May  to 
call    on   Chetta    Ingledee.     He   did   not  care  to  have    these 


344  ■'^^'  iri<^N'  CROWN. 

Wf)mcn  meet  at  all.  No  good  could  come  of  their  knowing 
each  other,  and  there  was  imminent  danger  that  each  might 
misconstrue  his  friendliness  with  the  other.  Chetta  saw  that 
her  various  attempts  to  obtain  information  indirectly,  concern- 
ing May  Bryce,  were  not  very  successful.  She  persisted  how- 
ever, until  Tom  told  her  that  his  sister's  guest  was  the  daughter 
of  an  Illinois  farmer,  and  had  been  visiting  an  aunt  in  the 
East.  She  was  a  great  friend  of  Alice's,  though,  he  added 
parenthetically,  he  believed  that  girls  always  had  to  have  a 
very,  very  intimate,  dear  right-hand  friend  of  their  own  sex 
some  time  or  other,  usually  in  fact,  a  succession   of  them. 

With  this  explanation  Chetta  was  obliged  for  the  present 
to  be  content,  though  by  no  means  satisfied.  She  could  not  for- 
get her  brother's  surmise  about  that  "  other  girl,"  and  she  still 
had  a  suspicion  that  May  was  the  person  in  question.  Again 
at  times  she  thought  that  her  suspicions  did  Tom  Norwell  an 
injustice,  for  he  was  alwa^'s  very  agreeable,  and  gave  no  sign 
whatever  of  being  offended  with  her.  He  merely  kept  away 
without  appearing  to  try  to  avoid  her.  Perhaps,  she  reasoned, 
if  he  were  in  some  settled  occupation  and  prosperous  again, 
he  would  once  more  be  the  jolly,  good-natured  Tom  Norwell 
he  had  once  been,  and  better  still,  her  lover.  She  would  aid 
him  by  her  influence,  as  she  had  done  before. 

When  Chetta  Ingledee  once  formed  a  conception  of  what 
was  the  best  thing  to  be  done,  she  did  not  allow  the  idea  to 
perish  of  inanity,  wdiile  she  speculated  indecisively  as  to 
whether  she  would  really  attempt  it.  With  her  action  fol- 
lowed thought  as  surely,  and  as  much  a  consequence,  as 
fatigue  follows  exercise.  The  next  morning  at  breakfast  the 
father  and  daughter  were  alone,  Silas  not  yet  having  appeared. 

"  Papa,  I  wish  you  could  retire  from  business.  Ilave  you 
not  enough  already?" 

"  Why  to  be  sure,  daughter,  so  far  as  money  goes,  I  had 
enough  long  ago.  I  make  money  now  because  the  habit 
grows  on  me.  I  love  the  activity  which  has  led  me  on  to 
fortune.  And  then  each  additional  million  means  so  much 
more  influence,  so  much  power,  so  many  triumphs  over  my 
rivals." 

"  Papa,  do  you  think  you  always  use  this  power  aright? 
Power  may  be  a  very  dangerous  thing  in  the  wrong  hands." 

"  My  child,  you  don't  understand  the  intricate,  occult  in- 
fluences which  permeate  great  financial  operations.  All 
changes  in  the  commercial,  religious  or  political   condition  ot 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  345 

a  nation  take  place  according  to  fixed  natural  laws.  It  is  one 
of  nature's  laws  that  there  must  be  very  rich  men." 

"I  think  that  is  man's  law  rather  than  God's." 

"  Now  you  are  talking  nonsense,  my  daughter.  You  must 
not  decide  such  questions  from  accidental  circumstances  and 
superficial  observation." 

"  I  do  not  pretend  to  understand  all  about  these  things, 
but  I  do  understand  one  thing,  and  that  is  that  good  men  suf- 
fer by  these  money  disturbances.  Look  at  Mr.  Norwell  for 
instance.     And  now  his  son  has  lost  everything." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  Thomas  Norwell.  I  told  him  if  he  ever 
wanted  to  deal  to  come  to  me  and  I  would  give  him  as- 
sistance, but  you  see  he  chose  to  depend  on  his  own  judginent, 
and  in  consequence  lost.  I'm  afraid  Norwell  is  not  doing  the 
best  lately."  As  Mr.  Ingledee  said  this  he  quickly  scanned 
his  daughter's  face,  but  she  betrayed  no  sign  of  unusual  in- 
terest, much  less  surprise. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  papa?" 

"  Well,  he  is  growing  reckless.     I  hear  he  gambles  too." 

"  Papa,  I  do  not  believe  a  word  of  that." 

"I  have  it  from  good  authority." 

"Did  Silas  tell  you?" 

"  No,  Chetta,  I  could  scarcely  get  such  information  from 
Silas." 

"Then  I  don't  believe  It." 

"  I  scarcely  think  myself  he  has  followed  It  far,  but  a  be- 
ginning is  dangei'ous." 

Mr.  Ingledee  said  this  utterly  unconscious  of  the  direct 
application  of  the  principle  to  the  methods  by  which  his  own 
fortune  had  been  acquired.  In  his  mind  no  relation  whatever 
existed  between  making  a  fictitious  sale  and  thereby  wagering 
a  heavy  sum,  and  betting  on  cards.  He  would  have  denied 
the  relation  indignantly,  had  any  one  pointed  it  out.  The 
verbal  distinction  existing  between  the  words  business  and 
fra7Jibling  had  for  him  all  the  force  of  a  moral  one.  Thou- 
sands of  men  besides  railway  kings,  are  unable  or  unwilling  to 
see  that  rechristening  an  evil  and  stamping  it  with  public 
approval,  does  not  make  it  right. 

"  Papa,  don't  you  think  we  could  help  Mr.  Norwell  some 
way?" 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?" 

"  Perhaps  there  is  some  position  on  some  of  your  lines?" 

"  Nothing  that  he  would  care  for;  besides,  he  would  have 


346  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

to  go  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  all  probability,  which  most  likely 
he  would  not  like  to  do.  Ophir's  interests  and  connections 
with  Eastern  roads  might  help  him," 

«  Would  you  speak  to  Mr.  Ophir?"  As  Chetta  said  this, 
she  thought  of  that  interview  in  Ingledee's  private  office. 
She  knew  he  could  if  he  would. 

"  I  have  alreaciy  asked  one  great  favor  of  Ophir  in  connec- 
tion with  this  young  man.  I  scarcely  like  the  idea  of  becom- 
ing his  intercessor  a  second  time.  Besides,  Norwell  might  not 
thank  me  for  it." 

"  You  might  at  least  give  him  the  chance." 

"  Chetta,  do  you. really  wish  this?" 

"  1  do." 

"Is  there  anything  you  have  not  told  me?  Is  Tom  Nor- 
well anything  more  than  a  friend  to  you?" 

"  He  is  not,"  replied  Chetta,  coloring  slightly. 

"  Do  you  expect  him  to  be?" 

"  Papa,  I  think  even  you  have  scarcely  the  right  to  ask  me 
this  question  under  the. circumstances.  Tom  Norwell  has  al- 
ways been  our  friend,  as  you  know.  What  he  may  think  of 
our  family  I  have  no  means  of  knowing.  No  one  would  mis- 
understand you,  I  think,  in  this  matter." 

It  was  arranged  after  considerable  persuasion  on  her  part 
that  Ingledee  should  use  his  influence  with  Ophir  to  obtain 
Norwell  a  situation  with  one  of  the  great  railway  lines. 
Hickley  was  to  be  asked  to  inform  Tom,  so  that  the  latter 
might  never  know  just  how  he  came  by  the  offer.  He  would 
not  accept  anything  that  came  directly  from  Ophir  in  any 
shape.  Chetta  was  happy.  She  knew  the  full  extent  of  her 
fiither's  influence  just  then  with  Ophir. 

Meantime  the  Norwells  were  to  experience  once  more  a 
hard,  disagreeable  fact,  a  fact  hoary  with  antiquity,  that  noth- 
ing so  tries  friendship  as  a  change  of  fortune.  A  severe  finan- 
cial reverse  will  separate  true  friends  from  the  chafF  of  hol- 
low friendship  as  certainly  as  the  magnet  selects  iron  filings 
from  a  heap  of  litter,  leaving  the  fluff  and  dust.  Prosperity 
warms  at  the  hearth  of  friendship,  while  poverty  freezes  in 
the  entry.  I  said  true  friends,  but  after  all,  may  not  a  friend 
as  honestly  admire  your  fine  house  as  yourself?  He  is  a  true 
friend  after  his  kind.  Around  the  Snicker  family  altar — I  do 
not  mean  the  altar  which  a  sentimental  tradition  still  tacitly 
ascribes  to  the  '■'elongings  of  every  well-regulated  household, 
but,  which  in  the  S.Mcker  family  usually  stood  silent   and  de- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  347 

serted  because  it  was  so  dreadfully  common, — it  was  the  new 
altar,  the  altar  of  Mammon,  whence  a  cloud  of  incense  sweet 
with  tons  and  tons  of  sugar,  perpetually  rose,  as  the  Snicker 
high  priest,  clad  in  the  broadest  of  phylacteries,  proudh'  swung 
his  golden  censer — at  this  family  altar  the  Norwells  were 
discussed  and  done  for  in  a  very  brief  space. 

"  Norwell's  busted  again,  Matilda,"  said  the  Old  Commoner 
sententiously  to  his  thin,  negative  consort. 

"  Overtrading,  I  suppose?" 

"  Overtrading!"  he  replied,  with  a  spice  of  contempt  for 
her  ignorance.  "No;  foolhardy  speculation.  He's  not  in 
business  at  all." 

"  I  did  not  know  that,  Amaziah."  \\'ith  this  active  par- 
ticipation in  the  conversation,  Mrs.  Snicker  relapsed  into  her 
normal  vacuum. 

"Say,  Pa,"  queried  Fred  Snicker,  with  a  languishing  drawl, 
"when  you  went  into  molasses,  and  that  sort  of  thing,  you 
know,  was  that  speculation,  or  was  it — what  the  deuce  was  it 
now?" 

"  I've  told  you  that,  about  fifty  times,  Fred,"  growled  Mr. 
Snicker. 

"  Yes,  I  know  Pa,  but  then  really  now,  never  having  been 
in  business,  and  knowing  nothing  about  sugar  and  such  things, 
one  is  not  to  be  expected  to  remember  those  disagreeable 
details." 

"  Well,  I  was  in  business,  and  I  bought  a  legitimate  ar- 
ticle, not  exactly  on  speculation,  but  simply  made  very  heavy 
purchases — of  a  legitimate  article,  mind  you — if  sugar  an' 
molasses  isn't  legitimate  what  is,  Fd  like  to  know."  Mr. 
Snicker  raised  his  voice  a  trifle  as  if  he  expected  some  one 
would  attempt  to  controvert  so  daring  an  assertion.  No  one 
did  so,  and  the  legitimacy  of  sugar  was  established.  He  went 
on:  "  Sugar  bein'  a  legitimate  article,  it  was  bound  to  go  up 
when  the  war  began  and  cut  off  the  supply.  Anybody  coukl 
see  that — I  mean  anybody,  with  a  head  long  enough.  It  takes 
no  common  head  to  ingineer  such  a  deal.  Norwell  has  no 
head  for  speculation.  His  forte  is — well,  I  think  his  forte  is 
to  keep  clear  of  it." 

"  Hadn't  I  better  mark  them  off  my  list  when  I  have  my 
birthday  party.  Ma?"  said  Harrie. 

"  As  you  think  best,  child.     Pa,  what  do  you  say?" 

"  What  do  I  say?  What  do  I  know  about  such  things? 
If  you  don't  want  'em  cross  'em  off,  that's  all." 


34^^  AX   in  ox  cuowx, 

"  Tom  isn't  a  bad  sort  of  pwcrson,"  drawled  Fred.  "Some- 
times he  is  a  little  abwupt,  but  I  like  to  see  a  man  of  spirit. 
I  told  him  last  time  that  he  was  abwupt  that  really  a  fellow 
couldn't  be  expected  to  stand  that  sort  of  thing  always.  When 
he  saw  I  was  in  earnest  he  apologized  handsomely,  and  said 
he  was  very  sorry  to  offend  a  friend.  Really,  I  haven't  any- 
thing against  Tom  Norwell." 

"  Fred,  I  think  you  shouldn't  get  into  so  man}'  rows  with 
the  fellows." 

"I  think,  Plarrie,  I  can  take  care  of  myself,"  he  said,  ex- 
hibiting a  little  of  the  sanguinary  disposition  which  might  be 
expected  to  crop  out,  were  he  sufficiently  provoked. 

"  I  never  could  see  why  Alice  Norwell  goes  to  parties," 
continued  Harrie.  "She  doesn't  like  dancing.  She  only  tastes 
the  supper,  and  she  pretends  to  be  dreadfully  down  on  flirting. 
Ifs  my  opinion  she's  down  on  it  because  young  men  don't  take 
to  her,  I  think  I'll  cut  them.  Pa.  You  see  they  haven't  the 
means  now  to  give  parties.  I  don't  think  they've  the  right 
to  go  to  parties." 

"  No  right  luider  heaven!  We  should  pay  as  we  go.  I 
think  I  should  drop  them.     That's  a  good  enough  reason." 

Mr.  Snicker  regarded  social  obligations,  as  he  did  all  others, 
from  a  monetary  standpoint.  He  \vorshiped  at  a  very  fash- 
ionable church  because  there  the  Snicker  family  could  hear 
the  gospel,  amid  surroundings  commensurate  with  the  size 
of  the  Snicker  bank  account.  He  gave  to  charity  because  as  an 
abstract  principle  charity  must  be  right,  since  everybodj'  ad- 
mitted it,  and  because  other  rich  people  had  set  the  fashion  of 
giving  to  charity.  Hence,  their  giving  implied  an  obligation 
of  Snicker's  to  give,  and  he  did  give,  to  his  credit,  be  it  said, 
with  no  mean  hand.  But  he  never  gave,  concealing  from  the 
left  hand  what  the  right  hand  did.  With  him  charity  and 
publicity  went  together.  Had  Tom  Norwell  just  returned 
from  Sing  Sing  and  been  about  to  give  a  swell  party  in  com- 
memoration of  his  release,  it  would  doubtless  have  been  the 
proper  thing  for  the  vSnickers  to  accept  his  invitation,  that  is 
judging  from  the  family's  idea  of  the  purposes  and  proprieties 
of  society.  It  would  have  been  right  because  the  Snickers 
had  the  means  to  repay  such  obligations  in  kind  with  a  reason- 
able jjrospect  of  adding  interest  thereto.  Mr.  Snicker  might 
perhaps  have  been  a  little  startled  by  any  such  concrete  ap- 
plication of  his  principles,  but  there  is  where  his  logic  must 
land  him  eventually.     So  the   inexorable   pencil    of  high  so- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  349 

ciety's  stern  auditing  clerks  was  drawn  pitilessly  through   the 
names  of  Tom  and  Alice  Norwell  on  many  a  list. 

But  they  still  had  friends,  and  good  ones,  too,  though  some 
of  them  were  neither  rich  nor  famous.  Mary  Hackett  called 
on  Alice  to  tell  her  that  the  firm  for  which  she  worked  wanted 
an  intelligent  lady  to  manage  their  correspondence.  Mrs. 
Malley  called,  with  a  little  remembrance  from  Pipe  Malley 
&  Co.,  in  the  shape  of  a  basket  of  fruit  in  which  were  a  half 
dozen  superb  oranges,  a  half  dozen  long  golden  bananas,  sev- 
eral very  large  red-cheeked  apples,  and  some  luscious  grapes. 
Under  the  pink  netting  was  slipped  a  large  card  printed  in 
very  black  letters,  "Pipe  Malley  &  Co.,  dealers  in  fine  foreign 
and  domestic  fruits."  Above  this  in  rather  laborious,  but 
very  plain  letters,  was  written,  "  Compliments  of"  in  Pipe's 
own  hand. 

"  The  boys,"  said  Mrs.  Malley,  "  have  sent  you  and  vour 
brother  a  little  fruit,  if  ye'll  pardon  the  liberty.  Miss  Nor- 
well.    Pipe    and   yer  brother  are  acquainted  like,  I   believe." 

"Thank  you.     Are  you  Mrs.  Malley?" 

"That's  me  name.  The  twins  is  me  boys.  I  was  comin' 
this  way  and  thought  Pd  bring  it  meself." 

"  Come  in,  Mrs.  Malley,"  said  Alice  kindly.  "  Will  you 
take  off  your  bonnet  and  sit  down?" 

"  I've  hardly  the  time.  Ma'am,"  said  Mrs.  Malley,  who 
seated  herself  nevertheless.  "  Pipe  thought  you'd  like  a  bit 
o'  fruit,  may  be." 

"  It  was  very  kind  of  them.      What  fine  fruit  it  is." 

"  They  keeps  only  the  best.  Pipe  says  he's  goin'  to 
work  up  a  reputation  for  havin'  only  the  best." 

"  Mrs.  Malley,  please  say  that  my  brother  and  I  thank 
your  sons  very  much  for  this  present." 

"  It's  not  worth  mentionin'.  Miss,  at  all.  Pipe  said  your 
brother  had  lost  some  money  lately." 

"  Yes,  he  did  meet  with   losses." 

"  And  I'm  one  that  knows  how  to  sympathize  with  you, 
INIiss,  for  Mr.  Malley  went  to  the  grave  fur  grief."  Alice 
Norwell  scarcely  understood  why  the  late  Mr.  Malley  went 
to  the  grave  for  an  article  which  may  be  found  almost  any- 
where this  side  of  it.  She  waited  for  Mrs.  Malley  to  finish. 
"  Poor  man,  after  slavin'  for  years,  him  an'  me  scraped  to- 
gether a  start  in  the  world  an'  lost  it  all." 

"  Indeed !" 

"  Yes,  he  went  into  business,  and  he  wasn't  hardly  fit  for 
it,  I  think." 


350  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  What  business  did  he  go  into?" 

"  Wholesale  licker.  That  man  throwed  five  hundred 
dollars  right  into  whiskey  and  lost  every  red  cent  of  it." 

"  What  a  pity.      But  business  is  uncertain." 

"It  is  in  truth,  Ma'am.  Some  say  Mr.  Malley  couldn't 
keep  things  agoin'.  They  went  from  bad  till  worse,  an'  the 
sheriff  shut  up  the  store.  It  broke  his  heart,  too," — here 
Mrs.  Malley  alluded  to  her  late  husband,  not  to  the  obdurate 
minion  of  the  law — "  an'  I  follered  him  to  the  grave." 

"  We  must  expect  trouble  in  this  world." 

"  Ye're  wrong  there.  Miss.  Theie's  no  use  expectin' it. 
It'll  come  soon  enough  without.  If  Mr.  IMalley  had  only 
kept  out    o'  whiske}'    it  would  have  been  all  right." 

Mrs.  Malley  omitted  to  say  that  when  her  late  husband 
went  into  the  business  of  liquor  merchant  he  became  his  own 
regular  customer,  and  seemed  gradually  to  become  possessed 
with  the  idea  that  the  best  thing  to  do  was  to  drink  up  all  his 
stock  himself.  He  carried  out  this  ambitious  project  with  un- 
flagging zeal,  aided  by  a  few  of  those  zealous  friends  who  are 
never  known  to  desert  a  man  in  such  an  emergency.  They 
had  well-nigh  accomplished  this  thirsty  undertaking  ^vhen 
the  business  suddenly  went  to  the  dogs,  and  Mr.  Malley  re- 
tired to  the  graveyard  for  grief,  leaving  a  widow  to  struggle 
with  life,  encumbered  by  a  pair  of  twins,  and  possessed  of 
only  good  health  and  willing  hands.  After  some  further 
expressions  of  sympathy,  Mrs.  Malley  took  her  dejDarture. 

Tom  Norwell  was  now  beginning  to  recover  from  the 
dark  despair  into  which  he  had  been  plunged  by  his  great  re- 
verse of  fortune.  His  health  and  elastic  spirits  inspired  him 
with  hope  that  somehow  all  would  yet  be  well.  He  thought 
of  going  West,"  where  there  were  better  opportunities  for 
young  men.  Chicago,  he  had  heard,  presented  good  open- 
ings in  different  directions.  Alice  approved  of  the  plan.  She 
wished  to  get  away  from  her  old  associates,  and  start  among 
strangers  anew.  One  day  Tom  received  a  note  from  Hick- 
ley,  asking  him  to  call  at  the  office  on  business  of  interest. 

Tom  went  that  forenoon.  Hickley  asked  him  if  a  situ- 
ation on  salary  would  be  acceptable,  and  informed  him  that  a 
very  good  place  might,  perhaps,  be  obtained  in  the  passenger 
service  of  a  certain  great  railroad. 

"  I  don't  understand  the  business,"  said  Norwell. 

"  That  isn't  necessary.  The  clerks  in  the  office  can  run 
it  till  you  get  your  hand  in," 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


6D' 


"  Ilickley,  that  road  is  controlled  by  Ophir.  I  don't  like 
to  accept  any  favors  from  that  man.  I  scarcely  understand 
wh)^  this  place  is  offered  to  me  at  all." 

"  Mr.  Ophir,  of  course,  owns  a  very  large  interest  n\  the 
road,  and  is  a  director,  but  then  you  have  other  acquaintances 
on  the  board.  There's  Bulger,  he's  an  old  friend  of  your 
father.       Why  shouldn't  you  be  offered  the  place?" 

"I  don't  like  the  idea  of  taking  a  thing  by  way  of  charity, 
especially  from  Ophir." 

"Five  thousand  a  year  isn't  bad." 

"  The  salary  is  all  right,  but  the  fact  is,  Hickley,  I  can't 
accept.     I've  made  other  arrangements." 

"  Oh,  that  alters  the  case,  Norwell.  Why  didn't  vou  say 
so  at  first?" 

"  I  don't  mean  anything  definite.     I  am  going  West." 

"  Tom  Norwell,  we  have  always  been  good  friends,  and 
in  the  habit  of  speaking  plainly.  Now,  if  you  will  allow  me 
to  say  so,  I  think  you  are  playing  the  fool." 

"  You  have  a  right  to  your  own  opinion,  Hickley,  and  I 
have  a  right  to  reject  this  offer  if  I  choose.  I  thank  you  for 
what  you  have  done  for  me.     I  am  sorry  I  cannot  accept." 

A  few  days  after  this  conversation  between  Norwell  and 
Hickley,  Tom  and  Alice  sat  in  their  little  parlor  discussing 
their  plans  for  the  future.  As  they  intended  to  leave  the 
city  soon  it  was  thought  best  not  to  give  up  their  apartments 
as  contemplated  until  they  were  ready  to  start  for  Chicago. 
The  brother, and  sister  v/ere  apparently  on  good  terms, 
though  Alice  could  not  fail  to  observe  that  the  old  spontane- 
ous affection  of  her  brother  was  not  the  same.  He  was 
just  as  kind  as  formerly,  and  even  more  thoughtful  of  her. 
All  his  plans  now  seemed  to  be  made  for  her  benefit,  and 
through  them  all  she  could  discern  that  duty  was  before  the 
tender,  brotherly  affection  that  once  was  hers.  She  was 
secretly  pained  at  this,  but  there  was  now  no  means  of  recall- 
ing those  hasty  words.  Time,  she  thought,  might  remove 
their  sting.  Herself  she  repented  them  with  bitter  tears, 
but  any  allusion  to  the  matter  now  could  only  make  things 
worse  instead  of  better  by  bringing  the  whole  painful  scene 
fresh  before  him. 

Tom  had  been  reading  to  her  portions  of  a  letter  from 
Wilson.  The  Amazon  had  proved  a  bonanza.  Wilson 
and  Mack  were  both  millionaires,  or  would  be  in  a  few  more 
months.       A    branch    of  the  great   "Cobweb"  line  of  rail- 


352  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

road  would  soon  De  completed  to  Ruby  Buttes.  Then  mine 
owners  would  be  able  to  work  their  mines  at  a  vastly  in- 
creased profit,  the  present  cost  of  transportation  by  wagon 
being  ruinously  high.  Alice  had  already  received  all  this 
news  direct  from  Wilson,  but  she  was  pleased  to  hear  it 
again.  Wilson  had  offered  to  loan  Tom  any^  amount  of 
money  he  might  need  in  his  present  exigencies.  But  Tom 
bravely  concluded  not  to  allow  others  to  make  easy  the 
thorny  path  which  he  had  chosen  for  himself.  Concealing 
from  Wilson  the  true  state  of  his  finances,  he  replied  that  he 
should  work  up  from  the  bottom,  and  thus  have  the  more 
satisfaction  when  he  reached  the  top. 

During  the  evening  Garmand  dropped  in.  He  had  sud- 
denly determined  to  return  to  Europe,  and  had  come  to  say 
good-bye.  The  good  news  from  Wilson  made  Alice  look 
unusually  happy.  From  the  first  she  had  admired  him.  His 
superior  intelligence  and  practical  common  sense  combined 
with  an  unassuming  manner,  pleased  her  greatly.  Now  she 
had  the  best  of  reasons  for  thinking  that  he  cared  for  her. 
To  win  the  love  of  such  a  man,  especially  in  his  hour  of  suc- 
cess, seemed  to  her  a  woman's  greatest  triumph. 

Garmand  had  greatly  admired  this  practical  Yankee  girl. 
She  was  always  entertaining,  sometimes  a  trifie  precise,  and 
never  silly.  She  corrected  his  mistakes  so  kindly  and  with 
such  adroit  indirectness,  that  it  seemed  many  times  as  if  she 
were  seeking  information  instead  of  imparting  it.  She  never 
quizzed  him  as  some  of  the  young  ladies  did  slyly  at  times. 
He  perceived  that  she  was  well  educated,  well  bred,  and,  in 
short,  a  lady  in  every  sense  of  the  term.  He  thought  she 
could  manage  an  English  home  admirably.  And  yet  he  had 
never  made  love  to  her.  In  the  first  place,  his  mind  was 
not  made  up  that  he  cared  for  her.  It  is  a  momentous  matter 
for  an  Englishman  of  the  upper  class  to  marry.  He  must 
please  himself,  he  must  please  his  relations,  and  above  all,  he 
must  please  a  caste  as  scrupulous  in  social  matters  as  were  the 
Pharisees  of  old  in  religious.  Had  he  been  a  marquis  he 
might  have  ignored  these  caste  considerations,  but  a  man  well 
down  toward  the  substratum  of  the  structure  could  not  afTord 
to  make  a  mistake.  Then,  considering  how  hard  it  is  for  a 
man  to  please  himself  in  the  choice  of  a  wife,  the  task  seems 
well  nigh  hopeless  when  he  is  obliged  to  please  jDretty  much 
all  the  world  besides.  Moreover,  this  girl  had  lost  her  money, 
which  was  not  to  be  overlooked  very  easily.     Could  he  make 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  353 

the  sacrifice?  He  had  leceived  very  little  encouragement. 
After  a  considerable  acquaintance,  Miss  Nor  well  seemed  just 
the  same  as  at  the  beginning,  a  little  more  communicative  per- 
haps, because  they  had  a  wider  range  of  common  interest, 
but  there  was  not  the  slightest  approach  toward  a  more 
friendly  footing.  He  thought  perhaps  this  was  his  own 
fault. 

Garmand  revolved  the  situation  in  his  mind  while  the 
trio  sat  chatting,  just  as  he  had  revolved  it  several  times 
before.  Now  he  was  going  away  and  still  there  was  noth- 
ing definitely  understood.  On  the  whole  it  was  not  best  to 
be  in  a  hurry;  he  could  return  to  America  at  any  time  if  he 
thought  best.  Norwell  and  Garmand  started  out  for  a  little 
stroll  where  they  could  talk  more  freely.  They  dropped  into 
the  lobby  of  a  liotel  and  sat  smoking  and  talking  over  their 
financial  reverses.  This  was  a  sore  subject  for  both,  though 
Garmand  could  afford  his  losses  well  enough.  Finally  Tom 
remarked : 

"  Garmand,  I  shouldn't  mind  the  money  so  much.  Hang 
the  money,  let  it  go.  I'll  get  more  sometime.  But  I  have 
lost  a  sister  too." 

The  Englishman  was  startled.  This  remark  hit  directly 
upon  the  subject  in  his  own  mind.  Then  Garmand  at  once 
suspected  that  his  conduct  had  led  Norwell  to  conclude 
that  he  expected  to  marry  Alioe.  What  else  could  it  mean, 
this  losing  a  sister  when  there  were  no  other  beaux  visible? 
In  his  first  alarm  he  did  not  know  what  reply  to  make,  but 
at  once  thought  it  best  to  say  nothing  definite. 

"  You  may  be  mistaken,  Mr.  Norwell." 

"  Not  at  all.  There  is  no  chance  for  a  mistake  in  a 
matter  like  this." 

"  Still,  is  it  not  possible  that  things  may  be  diflferent  from 
what  you  think?" 

"  I  am  not  mistaken.  We  talked  it  over  and  there's  an  end 
of  it."  This  matter  had  worried  Tom  a  great  deal  secretly. 
Busy  with  his  own  self-accusing  thoughts  on  the  subject,  it 
never  occurred  to  him  that  Garmand  might  not  understand 
at  all  what  he  alluded  to.  He  assumed,  because  it  filled  his 
own  thoughts,  that  it  ought  to  be  patent  to  everybody  that 
these  financial  tioubles  had  caused  a  rupture  between  brother 
and  sister.  He  never  thought  of  the  fact  that  Garmand 
knew  nothing  about  the  loss  of  Alice's  legacy.  On  the  other 
hand,  Garmand  had  been  so  startled  by  this  echo  of  his  own 


354  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

reflections  that  it  never  occurred  to  him  that  Norwell  could 
refer  to  any  thin  t^  else  than  what  was  in  his  friend's  mind.  He 
was  alarmed  at  Norwell's  remark  that  it  had  been  talked  over. 
The  Englishman  was  instantly  on  the  defensive.  His  con- 
science accused  him  of  having  l:)een  very  friendly  with  Miss 
Norwell.  He  knew  how  scheming  women  entrapped  wealthy 
men  in  his  own  country.  Miss  Snicker's  rather  transparent 
efforts  rose  before  him  at  once,  and  he  reflected  that  perhaps 
this  country  was  no  better  in  that  direction.  He  failed  utterly 
to  understand  this  country.  Had  he  after  all  been  trapped,  he 
asked  himself,  by  one  of  these  Yankees  whose  customs  and 
peculiarities  were  a  constant  source  of  perplexity  to  his 
English  understanding? 

"  Don't  you  think — now  really  yon  cawn't  always  tell — 
perhaps  the  other  party  meant  nothing,  you  know." 

"  Some  things  when  said  and  done  can  never'  be  undone. 
This  is  such  a  case."  As  Norwell  said  this  he  sank  listlessly 
behind  a  cloud  of  smoke. 

Garmand  was  now  thoroughly  frightened.  This  allusion 
must  be  to  legal  joroceedings  for  breach  of  promise,  provided 
the  gentleman  in  the  case  proved  unwilling  or  tardy.  He 
thought  with  terror  of  two  or  three  little  notes  of  invitation  to 
the  theater  which  he  had  written  to  Alice.  He  would  give  a 
hundred  pounds  apiece  for  them.  If  such  a  goodly  sum  could 
be  made  out  of  Pickwick's  celebrated  epistle,  which  concealed 
love  under  a  cunning  guise  of  "chops  and  tomato  sauce," 
what  might  not  be  made  out  of  his  own  terribly  compro- 
,  mising  conduct.  It  was  lucky  he  had  taken  passage  in  the 
steamer  which  sailed  to-morrow,  and  still  more  lucky  he  had 
not  divulged  his  intentions  of  leaving  for  Europe.  He  would 
acquiesce  for  the  present  in  Norwell's  views,  and  thus 
avoid  arousing  any  suspicion  of  his  intentions.  He  would 
temporize. 

"  If  I  were  advising,  Norwell,  I  really  think  I  should  let 
things  take  their  course;  perhaps — well — you  cawn't  always 
tell  how  a  thing  is  coming  out." 

"  Yes,  that's  the  only  thing  to  be  done.  But  my  sister  is 
ver}'^  firm  in  her  notions,  and  seldom  says  a  thing  hastily. 
That's  just  where  the  trouble  comes  in." 

Garmand  was  now  completely  mystified.  Then  perhaps 
the  brother  was  not  in  the  plot,  or  had  not  the  heart  to  carry 
it  out.  It  was  this  sharp  Yankee  woman  who  was  bent  on 
having  an  English  husband,  or  a  good  round  money  equiva- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  355 

lent  (which  would  have  to  be  very  large,  considering  what 
precious  goods  it  balanced).  Norwell  had  sat  during  his  con- 
versation lazily  puffing  a  cigar. and  looking  out  at  the  people 
passing.  He  had  not  noticed  the  face  of  his  companion  or  he 
might  have  observed  that  there  was  a  queer  expression  in  it. 
At  length  Garmand  rose  and  remarlvcd  that  it  was  getting 
late,  though  it  was  still  early.  He  shook  Norwell's  hand  for 
a  longer  period  than  usual,  bidding  him  good-night  a  second 
and  third  time  as  he  lingered;  finally  asking  to  be  remem- 
bered to  Miss  Norwell,  he  took  leave  of  his  friend.  He  felt 
like  a  guilty  culprit  in  stealing  away  from  these  people  who 
had  been  so  kind  to  him,  without  saying  adieus  or  inviting 
them  to  share  his  hospitality,  should  they  ever  visit  his  own 
country.  On  Norwell's  return  Alice  asked: 
"  Where  is  Mr.  Garmand?  " 

"  He  went  off  in  considerable  of  a  hurry,  I  thought." 
"I  expected  him  back  here  to  say  good-night." 
Next   morning   they   were   greatly  surprised  to  see  in  the 
paper   that   Wyndleigh    Garmand   was  a  passenger    on    the 
Cunard  steamer  for  Europe. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

ALL     THINGS     ARE     EASY     BECAUSE     ALL     THINGS     ARE     UN- 
TRIED.  SOME     EXAMPLES    OF     YANKEE     THRIFT. 

Arriving  in  Chicago,  the  Norwells  found  a  respectable 
boarding  house  on  the  West  side  near  Union  Park.  The  price 
was  reasonable,  their  rooms  comfortable,  and  they  congratu- 
lated themselves  on  being  so  soon  settled.  They  had  letters 
to  a  few  good  people,  and,  for  this  reason,  felt  that  they  wcie 
not  entirely  among  strangers.  The  next  important  thing  was 
to  find  something  to  do.  Their  money  was  nearly  exhausted, 
and  both  must  go  to  work,  and  that  soon.  Alice  was  un- 
usually fortunate  in  this  respect.  One  of  the  persons  to  whom 
she  had  a  letter  of  introduction  happened  to  know  of  an  op- 
portunitv  for  a  young  lady  to  teach  as  assistant  in  a  Young 
Ladies'  Day  Scnool.  She  iminediately  called  on  the  Lady 
Principal  of  the  school,  and  introduced  Alice  to  her.  Al- 
though she  had  no  experience  in  teaching,  Alice's  fine  educa- 
tion and  ladylike  manners  strongly  impressed  the  Principal. 


356  AN    IKON    CKOWN. 

"Would  she  begin  on  trial?  "  Tlie  salary  was  eighteen  dol- 
lars per  week,  but  that  amount  would  not  be  paid  to  a  begin- 
ner. It  was  finally  arranged  that  Alice  should  take  the  place 
on  trial  at  twelve  dollars  per  week,  with  a  promise  of  an  ad- 
vance if  satisfaction  was  rendered.  As  Alice's  board  and 
lodging  would  cost  only  six  dollars  and  a  half  per  week 
including  everything  but  washing,  here  was  a  small  margin 
left  to  begin  on.  She  considered  herself  in  great  luck,  for 
she  was  to  begin  next  Monday. 

Tom  found  things  much  harder.  None  of  tiie  business 
men  to  whom  he  had  letters  were  able  to  do  anything  for 
him  just  then.  They  would  make  a  memorandum  of  his 
case  and  let  him  know  if  anything  turned  up.  He  knew 
what  that  meant — in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  nothing  at  all. 
Then  he  watched  the  papers  and  began  the  discouraging 
work  of  answering  advertisements  for  "  help  wanted."  He 
found  it  the  most  disheartening  occupation  he  had  ever  en- 
gaged in.  Day  after  day  he  tramped  the  streets  to  all  sorts  of 
places,  looking  for  any  kind  of  decent,  paying  work.  He  met 
with  nothing  but  disappointment.  He  found  that  most  of  the 
persons  advertising  wanted  youths  or  young  men  to  do  from 
ten  to  twelve  liours'  work  per  day  at  from  five  to  eight  dollars 
per  week.  One  or  two  firms  wanted  bookkeepers  or  sales- 
men at  good  salaries,  but  tiiey  had  from  one  hundred  to  three 
hundred  applicants,  and  wanted  only  experienced  men,  Nor- 
well  read  no  end  of  "  Business  Chances"  in  the  columns  of 
the  daily  papers.  His  experience  of  city  life  enabled  him  to 
guess  what  most  of  those  were  without  investigation.  One 
seductively-worded  advertisement  which  appeared  again  and 
again,  in  substantially  the  same  form,  with  two  or  three 
different  addresses,  read  something  as  follows: 

WANTED.— A  partner  in  an  established,  genteel, 
profitable  ofiice  business  paying  $200  per  month 
clear  profits.  Can  easily  be  made  to  pay  double  tiie 
amount.  Satisfactory  reasons  for  selling.  Two  hun- 
dred dollars  cash  takes  a  half  interest.  Call  at  Room 
40,  162  Hennepin  sti'eet. 

As  it  is  rather  unusual  for  an  established  paying  business 
to  sell  out  at  the  price  of  two  months'  profits,  Tom  thought 
he  wouki  investigate  the  business.  Calling  at  Room  40,  162 
Hennepin  street,  he  found  a  large,  bare-looking  ofiice  with 
three  desks  in  it,  two  inside  a  low  railing,  which  divided  the 
otiice  into  two  parts,  and  one  outside.     A  sign  painted  on  the 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  357 

glass  door  bore  the  legend,  "  Uriah  Frisky  &  Co.,  Novelty 
Dealers."  A  young  lady  sat  at  one  of  the  desks  inside  the 
railing  inserting  circulars  into  envelopes.  At  the  other  desk 
sat  a  young  man  about  thirty  years  of  age,  with  shiny,  short 
hair,  and  a  hang-dog  expression,  apparently  very  busy,  too 
busy  in  fact  to  look  up,  but  engaged  at  nothing  in  particular  so 
far  as  a  casual  observer  could  judge.  Norwell  was  met  at  the 
railing  by  the  young  lady,  wlio,  taking  the  little  slip  he  had 
cut  from  the  morning  paper,  said: 

"Oh,  that  refers  to  the  'Employment  Bureau.'  Mr. 
Duemup,  the  manager,  is  not  in  just  now,"  and  she  glanced 
at  the  desk  outside  the  railing,  thereby  indicating  the  place 
where  Mr.  Duemup  presided  when  the  pressure  of  his  genteel 
profitable. business  required  his  presence  in  the  office. 

"  When  do  you  think  he  will  be  in?  " 

"About  eleven  o'clock;  call  at  that  hour."  At  eleven 
o'clock  sharp  Tom  Norwell  was  on  hand,  and  so  was  Mr. 
Duemup.  In  fact,  that  gentleman  had  been  close  at  hand 
when  the  previous  call  was  made,  being  in  a  little  back  room 
with  the  door  ajar,  so  he  could  hear  all  that  transpired  in  the 
outer  office.  By  means  of  this  very  simple  device  Mr. 
Duemup  could  find  it  very  convenient  to  be  "out"  when 
callers  came  whom  he  did  not  care  to  see.  Like  nearly  all 
men  who  aspire  to  do  the  public  a  great  service,  Mr.  Duemup 
found  that  there  was  a  considerable  portion  of  the  said  public 
who  were  inclined  to  look  on  his  efforts  in  their  behalf  with 
ingratitude,  not  to  say  suspicion.  Some  even  nourished  these 
suspicions  till  they  became  convictions,  and  threatened  the 
"  Bureau,"  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Duemup,  with  chastisement, 
legal  or  personal,  according  to  the  turn  of  the  aggrieved  indi- 
vidual's mind.  Mr.  Duemup,  as  a  man  of  peace,  had  no  notion 
of  suffering  either  if  he  could  avoid  it.  In  consequence  it  was 
frequently  judicious  on  the  part  of  the  "  Bureau"  to  be 
"not  in." 

Norwell  advanced  to  the  desk,  and  jDresented  the  little 
slip,  saying : 

"I  called  with  reference  to  this  business  chance." 

"Oh,  exactly!  Take  a  seat,"  replied  Mr.  Duemup.  That 
gentleman  (since  modern  usage  has  applied  the  much-abused 
term  gentleman  to  all  male  human  beings,  except  possibly 
scavengers,  while  all  women  without  exception  are  ladies,  the 
reader  will  excuse  its  use  here)  was  of  m.edium  height,  about 
twent3•-fi^•e  years  of  age,  and  dressed  in  a  rather  loud,  striped 
business  suit.     He  wore  a  checkered  high  collar,  and  a  glass 


358  AM    IKON    CROWN. 

pin  in  his  tie.  On  his  hand  were  several  conspicuous  rings, 
some  plain,  others  set  with  stones.  He  had  a  hang-dog  ex- 
pression like  the  other  man  in  the  office,  except  that  Mr. 
Frisky,  novelty  dealer,  was  a  good  natured,  sneaking  dog, 
wlio  was  content  to  sell  useless  gimcracks  as  the  most  won- 
derful inventions  of  the  age,  while  Mr.  Duemup  was  the 
vicious  kind  of  brute  that  would  throttle  you  in  the  dark  on 
the  slightest  provocation.  His  red  face  was  closely  shaven, 
and  his  coarse  lips  were  rolling  the  stub  of  an  extinct  cigar. 
His  aquiline  nose  with  a  meaty  "  nub"  on  the  end  of  it,  ex- 
cited the  suspicion  that  he  was  a  guileless  Israelite.  This, 
however,  was  a  difficult  point  to  decide. 

"  What  is  the  nature  of  your  business?"  asked  Norwell, 

"Well  you  see,  I'm  running  an  Employment  IJuieau. 
I've  a  mighty  good  thing." 

"  Please  explain  a  little  more  fully." 

"  Well  you  see,"  replied  Mr.  Duemup,  whose  eyes  seemed 
to  be  constantly  scanning  a  map  of  Cook  county  which  hung 
on  the  opposite  wall,  "in  a  city  like  Chicago  there  are  always 
thousands  of  jDcople  out  of  employment,  or  who  are  dissatisfied 
with  the  work  tliey  have." 

"I  see." 

"  Well,  we  advertise  in  the  papers  that  we  can  furnish 
these  people  employment.  We  charge  each  applicant  two 
dollars  for  registering  his  name.  Ten  applicants  per  day  is 
one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  per  week,  or  four  hundred 
and  eighty  dollars  per  month.  Advertising,  which  is  the 
main  expense,  need  not  exceed  seventy-five.  That  leaves 
four  hundred  dollars  per  month  profits,  so  you  see  it  is  a 
pretty  good  thing." 

"  You  have  not  reckoned  office  expenses,  Mr.  Duemup." 

"Very  light.  Why,"  said  Duemup  confidentially,"  I  pay 
only  {ivc  dollars  per  month  for  desk  room." 

"  Ciieap  enough,  I  should  say.  But  how  about  furnishing 
the  ajjplicants  with  situations?" 

Mr.  Duemup  did  not  seem  very  willing  to  elucidate  this 
point,  but  replied: 

"  Well,  we  send  them  to  places.  If  they  fail  to  make  a 
contract  we  can  not  be  responsible  for  that."  Mr.  Duemup, 
indeed,  had  plenty  of  places  to  send  people.  But,  unfortu- 
nately, these  eager  applicants,  who  had  paid  perhaps  their  last 
two  dollars  for  the  reference,  found  on  reaching  the  place, 
that  no  help  was  wanted,  and,  moreover,  that  the  people  had 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  359 

never  heard  of  Diiemup's  "  Bureau."  Now  and  then,  by 
way  of  variety,  he  sent  people  to  numbers  which  were  va- 
cant lots.  But  this  was  not  done  through  any  humorous 
intent.  Mr.  Duemup  was  no  humorist.  It  was  an  unfor- 
tunate contingency  arising  from  the  nature  of  his  comphcatcd 
business.  It  was  all  the  fault  of  the  city  Directory  which 
failed  to  tell  what  numbers  were  not  built  upon. 

"  I  should  think  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  places  for  all 
the  applicants." 

"  Well,  you  see  we  advertise  very  extensively,  and  people 
know  where  to  send  for  good  help."  Then,  leaning  over 
toward  Tom,  he  added  confidentially,  "  That's  easily  man- 
aged." This  was  a  feeler,  to  see  whether  the  negotiator  for 
an  interest  in  this  light,  genteel  business  was  troubled  with  a 
conscience.     Norwell  quickly  took  the  cue,  and  replied: 

"Oh,  I  see,  I  see.  If  you  happen  not  to  have  places,  you 
find 'em,  eh?" 

"Exactly,"  replied  the  "  Manager"  with  a  laugh,  pleased 
to  discover  that  his  man  was  all  right  on  this  important  point. 

"  Then   I  should  say  you  have  a  pretty  soft  thing." 

"  Now  you're  talking." 

"  Police  ever  interfere?"  Here  Mr.  Duemup  leaned  back 
slightly,  threw  his  head  back  very  softly,  almost  closed  his 
eyes,  and  with  a  bland,  insinuating  wave  of  his  right  hand, 
said— nothing  at  all. 

"  Why  don't  you  keep  it  all  yourself? " 

"  Well,  you  see  the  business  is  doubling  right  up  on  my 
hands  till  I  can't  manage  it  myself.  I  need  a  good  office  man. 
There's  the  advertising  and  other  outside  work  to  look  after." 

"  Two  hundred  dollars  will  take  a  half  interest?  " 

"Yes,  if  taken  immediately.  I  have  another  man  coming 
to  see  me  at  one.  He  is  anxious  to  come  in,  but,  frankly,  I 
would  rather  have  you.  I  like  your  looks."  As  Mr. 
Duemup's  eyes  had  never  looked  squarely  in  Norwell's  face, 
it  was  difficult  to  see  where  he  had  obtained  the  data 
necessary  to  such  a  favorable  opinion. 

"  Isn't  there  a  good  deal  of  competition  in  such  an  easy 
business? " 

"  None  at  all  in  our  particular  line."  Strictly  speaking, 
the  "Manager"  told  the  truth  here,  as  he  was  a  .partner  in 
two  or  three  similar  "  snide"  employment  agencies  in  the 
city.  The  taking  in  of  a  partner,  where  they  could  manage 
to  rope  in  a  greenhorn,  was  as  much  a  part  of  the  business  as 
was  the  taking  in  of  the  public. 


360  AN'    lUOX    CROWN. 

"  Wliat  might  I  call  your  name?" 

«  Norwell." 

"  Now,  Mr.  Norwell,  I  consider  this  a  rare  opportunity, 
but  you  must  decide  at  once,  or  the  other  man  comes  in. 
What  do  you  say?" 

"  I'll  consider  the  matter,"  replied  Tom,  risino-. 

"  But  you  haven't  any  time  to  consider  it.  Such  oppor- 
tunitios  are  rare." 

"  I  shall  not  come  in  till  I've  thought  the  thing  over  well." 

"All  right,"  replied  the  manager,  who  saw  that  Norwell 
was  not  to  be  caught  in  his  little  trap  all  at  once.  "  Call 
again  when  you've  made  up  your  mind.  Our  business  talk 
is  confidential,  of  course." 

The  next  "business  chance"  which  Norwell  investigated 
proved  to  be  of  a  dramatic  nature.  A  gentleman  was  wanted 
to  go  on  the  road  as  treasurer  of  a  "snap"  dramatic  company. 
He  was  also  expected  to  contribute  five  hiuidred  dollars 
toward  the  enterprise  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  treasury  as 
it  were.  The  company  were  j^reparing  to  torture  the  public 
with  the  fascinating  new  play  entitled  "  Boarding  House 
Frolics,  or  Only  a  Masher's  Collar."  This  fearfully  and 
wonderfully  constructed  example  of  dramatic  high  art,  as  it 
now  flourishes,  was  expected  to  draw  like  a  free  lunch.  The 
profits  of  the  season  would  surely  reach  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars,  of  which  the  treasurer  could  have  half  by  investing 
the  paltry  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars.  Norwell  respectfully 
declined. 

One  morning  Norwell's  eye  fell  on  an  advertisement  worded 
something  like  this: 

WANTED. — An  advertising  solicitor  by  an  agri- 
cultural   paper  having  an   immense  circulation. 
A  rare  chance  to  the  right  party. 

Address  F  39,  "Daily  Forum." 

''  As  this  really  looked  like  legitimate  business,  Norwell 
addressed  F  39,  and  in  reply  received  a  note,  asking  him  to 
call  at  the  office  of  "The  Farm  Home  and  Hopper,"  a  flam- 
boyant sheet  whose  spread-eagle  sign  extended  across  the 
whole  front  of  a  handsome  business  block. 

On  entering  the  office,  Norwell's  eyes  first  fell  upon  a 
young  lady  seated  at  a  desk,  busily  opening  the  morning's 
mail.  In  the  rear  was  revealed  a  vista  of  several  rooms, 
through  the  open  doors  of  which  might  be  seen  some  twenty 
young  ladies  engaged  in  addressing  envelopes  and  wrappers. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  361 

The  "  Hopper  "  was  evidently  a  big  concern.  Extending 
his  note  by  way  of  introduction,  he  was  referred  at  once  to 
Air.  Powsley,  the  proprietor,  who  was  then  in  the  private 
office. 

Mr.  Powsley  was  a  good-looking,  well-dressed  young 
man  of  about  twenty-eight,  with  a  brusque  but  taking  busi- 
ness air.  He  had  none  of  the  sneaking  look  that  character- 
ized Air.  Frisky,  and  none  of  the  lurking  viciousness  that 
strove  to  conceal  itself  in  Duemup's  disagreeable  mug.  Air. 
Powsley's  demeanor  and  conversation  announced  at  once  that 
he  was  an  honest  man, — an  uncommonly  honest  one,  if  his 
own  intimations  from  time  to  time  were  to  be  taken  at  par. 
If  that  indefinable  "  something  "  in  his  face,  which  it  is  the 
peculiar  province  of  the  novelist  to  discover,  contradicted 
Air.  Powsley's  bearing  and  speech,  it  was  so  much  the  worse 
for  the  "  indefinable  somethino-."  J^somethino;  in  the  counte- 
nance  has  no  more  right  to  traduce  its  owner  covertly  than 
that  same  owner  has  to  traduce  somebody  else  by  means  of  a 
sneaking  anon}  mous  letter. 

Air.  Powsley  went  on  to  explain  that  his  paper  had  a 
bona  Jide  circulation  of  one  hundred  thousand  copies  weekly. 
This  large  circulation  made  it  a  very  desirable  medium  for 
advertisers,  and  soliciting  for  his  paper  was  sure  to  pay. 

"  I  have  never  before  heard  of  '  The  Farm  Home  and 
Hopper,'  "  remarked  Norwell.  "  Has  it  been  established 
long?" 

"  I  started  the  paper  ten  months  ago." 

"  It  has  been  very  successful,  I  should  say.  By  what 
means  were  you  enabled  to  build  up  so  large  a  circulation  so 
soon  ?" 

♦'  I  originated  a  very  popular  system  of  giving  prizes  to 
each  subscriber.  I  began  by  giving  each  subscriber  a  little 
more  than  the  worth  of  his  money,  and  trusted  to  luck  to  get 
it  back  in  the  future.  Here  is  a  list  of  the  prizes,"  and  he 
handed  Norwell  a  long  printed  slip  containing  the  names  ot 
almost  every  article  of  popular  use,  from  a  span  of  horses  or 
a  piano  to  a  wooden  napkin   ring. 

Norwell  began  to  understand  the  methods  of  the  "  Hop- 
per." It  was  the  old,  swindling,  gift-distribution  scheme,  a 
fraud  hoary  with  antiquity,  and  which  certainly  is  not  bet- 
tered by  being  tacked  to  a  cheap  newspaper  fraud.  Air. 
Powsley  was  very  careful  to  explain  that  his  scheme  was  no 
lottery.     There  was  no  drawing.     Gifts  were  assigned   arbi- 


362  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

trarily,  and  every  subscriber  mi<^ht  get  one.  (It  was  a  fact, 
however,  that  most  of  them  did  not.)  In  his  advertisements 
he  described  it  as  an  honesty  square  plan. 

Another  feature  of  Mr.  Powsley's  scheme  deserves  spe- 
cial mention.  He  inserted  in  thousands  of  papers  throughout 
the  country  an  advertisement  larger  than  one  of  the  pages  of 
this  book,  offering  to  send,  for  $5.39,  a  handsome  watch, 
made  of  aluminum  gold, — whatever  that  may  be — worth 
t-iVenty-Jive  dollars.  The  only  conditions  attendant  on  par- 
ticipating in  this  unparalleled  generosity  of  "  The  Farm 
Home  and  Hopper,"  were  to  send  $5.39  in  advance,  and  sign 
an  agreement  to  pa}'  one  dollar  more  for  a  year's  subscription 
to  the  "  Hopper."  The  "  aluminum  gold  "  watch  cost  Mr. 
Powsley  probably  about  one  dollar  and  a  half  to  two  dollars 
wholesale.  For  time-keeping  purposes  it  equaled  a  sun  dial 
at  night.  The  paper  cost  him  about  twenty  cents  per  year 
on  a  liberal  estimate. 

Mr.  Powsley  inserted  his  advertisements  exclusively  in 
papers  read  by  farmers.  He  had  a  high  appreciation  of  rural 
intelligence.  His  scheme  was  a  great  success.  Letters  poured 
in  by  the  thousand  daily.  At  one  time  the  postoffice.  it  is 
said,  actually  found  it  necessary  to  emplov  a  wagon  to  deliver 
the  immense  mail  of  the  "  Farm  Home  and  Hopper."  This 
scoundrel  was  growing  rich  off  those  people  whose  opportu- 
nities of  understanding  the  deceitful  ways  of  dishonest  schem- 
ers are  few.  Nor  was  he  alone  in  this  business.  A  host  of 
imitators  of  the  "  Hopper  "  entered  this  rich  field  to  prey  on 
fools.  Some  of  these  papers  were  owned  by  Powsley 
himself. 

One  paper  actually  advertised  to  loan  monev  to  its  sub- 
sciibers  at  four  per  cent,  per  annum,  the  loan  to  continue  as 
long  as  the  interest  was  paid,  and  the  borrower  remained  a 
subscriber  to  the  paper.  This  genius  (who  takes  the  laurels 
from  Col.  Sellers)  figured  out  for  his  paper  a  circulation  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  (to  be  obtained),  and  on  this 
basis  deduced  a  net  profit  of  three  hundred  and  forty-five  thou- 
sand dollars  per  annum!  This  princely  siun  was  all  to  be 
loaned  to  subscribei"s. 

I  do  not  mention  these  swindles  because  they  are  a  novelty. 
Doubtless,  thousands  of  people  understand  them  fully.  But  I 
wish  to  emphasize  the  astounding  fact  that  very  few  seem  to 
care  anything  about  them.  They  go  on  and  flourish,  just  as 
people  go  about  legitimate  business.     If  they  are  mentioned  at 


AlSf    IRONf    CROWN.  363 

all  it  is  la  a  careless  way  as  if  the  public  thought  such  rascal- 
ity was  on  the  whole  rather  a  smart  proceeding.  They  are 
virtually  abetted  by  the  postoffice  department  of  the  United 
States,  for  without  the  mails  such  swindles  as  these,  and  that 
of  Lemming  &  Miriam  would  be  impossible.  What  is  govern- 
ment instituted  for,  if  not  to  protect  the  poor,  the  weak,  the 
ignorant,  as  well  as  those  who  know  how  to  take  care  of 
themselves? 

With  regard  to  these  swindles,  which  are  a  disgrace  to  our 
nation,  the  people  are  partially  to  blame.  They  should  see 
that  the  laws  are  enforced  against  scoundrels  of  every  degree 
and  shade.  The  best  men  of  the  community  go  their  way 
intent  on  getting  rich  themselves,  and  the  entire  community 
apathetically  adopts  their  policy  of  non-inteiference.  The 
best  laws  fall  dead  and  futile  if  they  are  not  actively  supported 
by  the  people.  Laxv  never  makes  honor.  The  simple  facts 
are,  that  the  wonderful  activity  of  the  present  day  has  made 
almost  anything  appear  reasonable  to  the  unthinking  masses, 
no  matter  how  absurd  or  impossible  it  may  really  be.  Hence, 
knaves  are  constantly  in  waiting  to  take  advantage  of  the 
credulity  of  the  public.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  Norwell  did 
not  work  for  the  "  Iloj^per." 

He  went  home  that  night  tired  and  thoroughly  dis- 
couraged. Alice  tried  to  cheer  him  up  by  telling  him  the}^ 
could  get  along  for  awhile  without  great  inconvenience,  since 
she  was  sure  of  her  twelve  dollars  per  week. 

"  It  is  no  use  answering  any  more  advertisements  in  the  pa- 
pers," he  said.  "  It  seems  to  me  as  if  those  people  are  nearly 
all  frauds." 

"  Oh,  certainly  not  all,  Tom.  There  must  be  some  respec- 
table peojjle  who  advertise  for  help." 

"In  that  case,"  he  replied  moodily,  "there  are  a  hundred 
applicants  for  each  place." 

"You  will  find  a  place  yet,  Tom.  There  are  always 
places  for  those  who  really  want  to  work." 

Norwell  now  regretted  that  he  had  so  hastily  rejected  the 
ofTer  of  a  good  situation  with  that  railroad.  Though  he  told 
Hickley  that  he  dicj  not  care  to  be  indebted  to  Ophir,  which 
was  true,  he  felt  at  the  time  that  Chetta  Ingledee  was  most 
probably  the  cause  of  his  receiving  this  opportune  proffer  of  a 
place  just  as  she  had  helped  him  out  of  prison.  He  was  not 
ungrateful.  It  was  only  a  matter  of  pride.  He  did  not  like 
to  be  indebted  to  this  woman  so  deeply.     He  knew  that  she 


364  AN    IRON    CRO\VN. 

loved  him,  and  that  she  was  very  persistent  about  it.  This 
did  not  anger  him.  It  might,  had  she  been  old  and  ugly. 
But  what  m;ni  was  ever  angry  because  a  handsome,  accom- 
plished young  heiress  preferred  him?  But  he  disliked  that 
all  the  favors  should  come  from  her.  He  felt,  like  most  men, 
tl'iat  he  should  confer  obligations  on  the  woman.  It  was, 
however,  only  a  matter  of  common  politeness  to  write  her 
thanking  her  for  her  interest  in  his  behalf.  Then  he  could 
not  but  think  how  much  more  suitable  a  wife  this  woman 
would  have  made  than  the  simple-minded  May  Bryce.  It 
was  almost  with  regret  that  he  thought  of  May,  though  he 
did  not  all'jw  his  easy-going  nature  to  be  greatly  disturbed  by 
his  reflections.  That  night  he  sat  down  and  wrote  Chetta  a 
letter  which  grew  to  considerable  length  before  he  had  finished. 
He  alluded  to  her  interest  in  his  behalf,  remarked  that  he  had 
only  one  friend  capable  of  doing  so  much,  hoped  tiiat  some- 
time he  could  repay  the  debt,  and  finished  by  intimating  that 
he  should  not  forget  old  fiiends  in  New  York. 

The  next  evening  Norwell  went  down  town  to  the  theatre. 
There  was  a  noted  actor  whom  he  wished  to  hear,  and  as 
Alice  refused  to  go  because  they  could  not  afford  it,  Tom 
went  alone  and  sat  in  the  gallery,  where  the  admission  was 
only  twenty-five  cents.  Coming  home,  he  decided  to  walk 
for  the  exercise,  and  unwisely  went  through  Washington 
street  tunnel  under  the  river.  On  the  West  side,  this  brought 
him  into  a  very  disreputable  locality  infested  by  foot-pads, 
drunken  men  and  prostitutes.  Not  caring  to  remain  in  such  a 
dangerous  vicinity  very  long  at  that  hour  of  the  night,  he  hur- 
ried along  over  the  soggy  wooden  sidewalk  soaked  by  spring 
rains  and  past  dilapidated  old  pine  houses.  Two  or  three  blocks 
west  of  the  river,  as  he  was  passing  a  cross  street,  a  man  sud- 
denly sprang  from  a  dark  doorway  and  attempted  to  knock 
Norwell  down.  The  latter  turning  his  head  quickly  received 
only  a  glancing  blow,  which  failed  in  its  intended  effect.  In- 
stantly Norwell's  powerful  clutch  was  on  the  throat  of  his  as- 
sailant. Then  a  second  man  jumped  from  the  same  doorway 
and  struck  Norwell  over  the  head  with  some  kind  of  weapon 
which  left  an  ugly  welt,  knocking  him  senseless.  The  thieves 
seized  his  pocketbook  and  ran  away. 

In  two  or  three  minutes  Norwell,  who  was  not  seriously 
injured,  recovered  his  senses  and  rose  to  his  feet  just  as  two 
strangers  came  along.  They  inquired  what  the  matter  was  as 
soon  as  they  sav^  that  Norwell  was  not  drunk.     On    hearing 


AN    IKON    CUOWN.  365 

his  story,  the  men  inquired  of  Norvvell  if  he  was  not  a  stran- 
ger, as  they  knew  that  no  person  knowinij^  the  locahty  would 
venture  there  alone  at  niglit.  They  were  employed  by  a  Board 
of  Trade  Commission  firm,  and  had  been  detained  late  on  some 
extra  office  work.  The  three  walked  along  together  until 
Tom  discovered  that  they  lived  near  his  own  boarding  house. 
He  related  his  experiences  in  looking  for  a  position.  One  of  the 
men  named  Wylie,  gave  Tom  his  card,  and  j^roniised  to  aid 
him  if  he  could  in  any  way.  He  added  an  invitation  to  call  at 
the  office  next  day. 

Norwell  went  and  found  a  surprise  in  store  for  him.  Wylie 
had  mentioned  his  case  to  the  firm,  who  happened  to  want  an- 
other man  in  the  office.  The  head  of  the  firm,  who  was  an 
unusually  well-informed  business  man,  was  pleased  with  Nor- 
well at  once.  He  listened  to  the  latter' s  account  of  his  want 
of  success  in  obtaining  employment,  and  he  was  touched 
deeply  when  Norvvell  related  briefly  the  misfortunes  of  his 
family.  In  consequence  Norvvell  was  employed  at  once  on  a 
salary  of  twenty  dollars  per  week.  Once  this  sum  would  not 
have  paid  his  bills  for  gloves  and  flowers.  Now  he  was  very 
glad  to  have  it.  Once  more  he  was  indej^endent  and  ready 
to  begin  the  laborious  operation  of  climbing  the  ladder  from 
the  very  bottom. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

MIND-FARMING    AND    HUSBAND-PAINTING. 

Miss  Bryce  had  returned  to  her  Illinois  home.  For  some 
days  she  entertained  her  father  and  mother  continually  by 
relating  her  experiences  while  visiting  in  New  York.  Life 
in  the  metropolis  and  life  in  her  own  country  home  repre- 
sented almost  the  utmost  extremes  of  the  American  social 
fabric.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bryce  were  well  informed  for  people 
in  their  station,  concerning  the  usages  of  urban  life,  and  were 
greatly  interested  in  May's  recitals  of  the  doings  and  sayings 
of  polite  society.  They  liked  to  listen,  because  their  daugh- 
ter's habit  of  intelligent  observation  had  stored  her  mind  with 
many  ideas  and  reflections  well  worth  knowing.  They 
prided  themselves  that   their  child  "  was  no  fool,"  as  plain 


366  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

country  people  often  put  a  case  of  more  than  ordinary  inlelli- 
ji^encc.  Then  they  had  besides  the  old  interest, — as  old  as 
the  day  when  the  first  child  was  born  into  the  woi'ld, — that 
of  being  interested  in  whatever  interested  the  child. 

On  reaching  home,  May  had  written  promptly  to  her 
lover,  and  soon*  received  a  reply.  May  had  never  kept  any 
important  secrets  from  her  parents.  She  would  have  felt  a 
miserable  guiltiness  had  she  attempted  a  clandestine  love 
affair.  The  secret  would  surely  have  betrayed  itself,  for  she 
was  incapable  of  dissimulation.  Like  a  dutiful  daughter  she 
showed  Tom's  letter  to  her  mother,  and  asked  if  there  was 
any  reason  why  she  should  not  continue  such  a  correspond- 
ence. She  did  not  expect  a  refusal,  for  her  parents  never 
refused  her  anything.  But  she  dreaded  lest  ]>er  mother  might 
ask  how  far  matters  had  already  gone.  Then  she  must 
either  be  guilty  of  deception  or  break  her  promise  to  her 
lover,  a  promise  of  which  she  did  not  realize  the  full  force 
when  she  made  it.  She  could  do  neither.  She  could  only 
lay  herself  liable  to  misconstruction  by  declining  to  answer 
until  she  obtained  Tom's  consent  to  speak.  But  Mrs.  Bryce 
asked  no  such  question.  She  had  an  implicit  confidence  in 
her  daughter's  discretion  and  sense  of  filial  duty.  It  was  safe 
to  leave  eveiything  to  her  for  the  present.  The  mother  did 
privately  express  some  doubts  as  to  the  propriety  of  encour- 
aging an  intimacy  between  Norwell  and  their  daughter. 
Mrs.  Bryce  had  heard  it  said  that  city  men  often  "thought 
nothing  of  having  two  or  three  girls  at  once."  Mr.  Bryce 
had  no  such  misgivings.  He  liked  Norwell,  and  was  sure 
that  he  was  a  gentleman.  He  had  never  seen  a  young  man 
he  would  rather  have  for  a  son-in-law,  provided  he  really 
meant  anything  more  than  a  friendly  correspondence.  Mrs. 
Bryce's  doubts  were  silenced,  and  the  matter  was  discussed 
no  more. 

After  a  time  May  experienced  that  sense  of  loneliness  and 
restless  discontent  which  usually  comes  to  a  young  person 
who,  having  been  for  a  season  transferred  from  a  life  of  quiet 
monotony  to  a  scene  of  greater  activity,  returns  again  to  the 
old  ways.  She  did  not  like  city  life.  The  midnight  glare  of 
gaslight,  the  babble  of  light  conversation,  and  the  rustle  of 
silken  trains,  did  not  compoil  with  her  ideas  of  refined  enjoy- 
ment. Yet  she  was  not  satisfied  with  the  old  farm  life.  She 
thought  there  must  be  an  ideal  existence  somewhere  between 
these  two  extremes.    Her  thoughts  frequently  wandered  back 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  367 

to  some  of  the  incidents  of  her  visit  in  New  York.  She 
thought  of  Chetta  Ingledce  often,  in  spite  of  her  attempts  to 
dismiss  that  young  huly  from  her  mind.  She  recurred  to  that 
scene  at  Brownell's,  when  Tom  led  Chetta  out  for  the  Vir- 
ginia reel.  Again  and  again  she  pictured  the  expression  on 
Chetta's  face,  and  it  always  seemed  to  her  one  of  triumph. 
The  thought  was  unpleasant,  and  yet  it  persisted  in  coming 
back  frequently.  Then  she  thought  of  Chetta  as  a  possible 
rival,  and  her  heart  sank.  She,  with  her  country  breeding, 
could  not  hope  to  win  in  a  contest  with  that  accomplished 
young  lady,  who  was  thoroughly  schooled  in  all  those  refined 
arts  of  attracting  men,  wliich  are  so  effectively  employed  by 
those  women  who  happen  to  be  beautiful  and  artful  at 
the  same  time.  What  if  Chetta  Ingledee  deliberately  set 
herself  to  take  away  May's  gallant  lover?  The  fear  of  such 
a  result  made  her  heart  sick.  But  she  fortified  her  spirits 
with  the  consolation  that  Tom  Norwell,  whatever  other  men 
might  be,  could  never  prove  untrue.  No,  her  demi-god,  the 
soul  of  manly  honor,  could  never  be  guilty  of  deception. 

Enjoined  by  her  lover  to  keep  their  tender  secret  from  the 
world,  and  with  no  congenial  friends  of  her  own  age  and  sex. 
May's  position  was  not  a  happy  one.  She  could  not  even  lay 
her  doubts  and  fears  before  her  mother, — that  friend  whose 
love  never  changed,  concerning  whose  affection  and  sympathy 
doubt  was  impossible.  She  could  not  even  make  a  confidant 
of  Alice.  She  \\*ndered  why  her  lover  was  so  sensitive  on 
this  one  point.  He  would  not  insist  if  he  only  knew  the 
misery  it  caused  her.  But  then  he  must  be  right  in  this  mat- 
ter, he  must  know  better  than  she.  She  would  bravely 
struggle  against  these  doubts  until  time  removed  them.  She 
scarcely  appeared  to  have  the  old-time  elasticity  of  manner. 
Mrs.  Bryce  thought  that  perhaps  late  hours  and  the  excite- 
ment to  which  May  was  unaccustomed  had  slightly  affected 
her  health  during  her  visit.  The  color  on  her  cheek 
looked  too  brilliant  for  perfect  health.  It  seemed  rather  a 
hectic  glow.  Her  eyes,  which  were  rather  large  and  always 
bright,  had  assumed  a  pearly  appearance  of  the  cornea.  She 
occasionally  felt  at  times  too,  a  slight  shortness  of  breath 
which,  however,  caused  her  no  alarm.  Mrs.  Bryce,  thinking 
that  sleep  was  all  her  daughter  needed,  was  careful  to  see 
that  everybody  in  the  house  was  in  bed  by  nine  o'clock. 

May  was  delighted  to  hear  that  the  Norwells  were  about 
to  move  to   Chicago.     As  soon   as   thev    were   located  there 


36S  A\    IKOX    CKOWN. 

(she  drove  her  pony  and  bu<^gy  to  the  station  every  day  for 
letters  at  this  particuhir  time)  she  at  once  wrote  Alice  a  long 
letter.  On  the  whole  it  was  a  cheerful  epistle,  and  a  very 
friendly  one.  The  Bryces  all  joined  in  an  invitation  to  the 
Norwells  to  visit  them  in  their  country  home.  The  distance 
and  the  running  of  trains  were  such  that  people  from  the  cit}' 
could  run  out  at  any  time  on  Saturday  afternoon  and  return 
Monday. 

Things  were  going  smoothly  with  the  Norwells.  They 
had  a  pleasant  boarding  place,  and  had  made  some  agreeable 
acquaintances.  Among  other  intimate  friends  were  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wylie.  The  Wylies  had  a  pleasant  little  home  of  their 
own,  and  as  the  men  worked  in  the  same  office,  they  were  all 
on  a  very  friendly  footing.  Alice  liked  her  work,  and  was 
pleased  to  see  that  steady  occupation  had  a  beneficial  effect 
on  her  brother,  who  was  naturally  inclined,  as  she  realized 
more  and  more,  to  indulge  visionary  sehemes.  They  were 
paying  their  way  as  they  went,  and  had  mutually  agreed  to 
lay  by  a  small  fixed  sum  from  their  not  very  liberal  salaries 
for  a  wet  day.  With  scrupulous  fidelity  Alice  placed  her 
share  of  the  fund  in  a  little  box  kept  for  the  purpose.  Each 
put  the  money  in  a  separate  envelope.  After  the  lapse  of  a 
few  weeks  Alice  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  Tom's  envel- 
oj^e  empty.  Her  first  thought  was  that  a  sneak  thief  had 
stolen  the  money.  Then  she  knew  that  was  impossible,  for 
he  would  have  taken  hers  at  the  same  tini(|^  She  at  once  had 
her  suspicions  aroused  as  to  what  became  of  it.  That  evening 
she  remarked  to  her  brother: 

"  Tom,  the  money  is  missing  from  your  envelope.  Did 
you  remove  it?" 

"  Yes,  I  took  it  out,"  he  answered  rather  uneasily.  "  Did 
you  want  some  money?" 

«  No,  but  I  thought  we  had  agreed  to  save  together." 

"  So  we  did,  and  so  we  shall;  but  the  fact  is,  Alice,  I  saw 
a  chance  to  make  a  good  investment." 

"Oh,  Tom!"  she  exclaimed  with  anguish  in  tone  and  look, 
"have  you  been  speculating  again?"  He  was  touched  at  the 
feeling  she  exhibited.  He  had  been  the  means  of  bringing 
this  sister  to  poverty,  and,  though  it  was  hard  for  his  sensitive 
nature  to  forget  her  hasty  words  when  she  had  by  implica- 
tion called  him  a  thief,  he  was  not  capable  of  cruelty,  and  he 
owed  her  very  much  indeed. 

"  Why,  Alice,  don't  take   il   to    heart  like    that,"  he  said 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  369 

kindly.  "  It  was  only  twenty-five  dollars  I  had  saved.  I 
took  it  out  and  bought  wheat.  I  cleared  one  hundred  dollars, 
and  I'll  put  fifty  into  the  envelope  if  you  say  so." 

"  Dear  brother,  it  is  not  the  money  I  care  for,  it  is  the 
principle.  Don't  be  angry  with  me  now,  Tom,  but  I  must 
say  what  I  feel.  Please  promise  me  not  to  speculate  any 
more." 

The  mania  for  gambling  had  taken  possession  of  him. 
He  could  not  give  it  up.     He  said,  after  a  pause: 

"  Alice,  I  hardly  think  you  ought  to  ask  that  of  me. 
Others  have  made  money  that  way.  I  may  see  a  golden 
opportunity." 

"  Think  of  what  it  ha.s  already  done  for  us.  Think  of 
father,"  and  her  voice  trembled  at  this  reference  to  that  sad- 
dest of  all  events  in  their  lives.  "  Think  of  yourself  a  few 
months  ago.     Please  promise,  for  my  sake." 

"  Sister,  I  will  promise  you  not  to  make  any  more  deals 
at  present." 

"  Say  never,  Tom." 

"No,  Alice,"  he  replied  firmly,  "  I  can  not  bind  myself  for- 
ever by  rash  promises  which  I  may  regret  sometime.  I 
promise  for  the  present."  That  was  all  she  could  get  him  to 
say,  and  with  a  foreboding  that  sometime  his  weakness  would 
lead  him  to  utter  ruin,  she  was  obliged  to  be  satisfied. 

The  visit  to  the  Bryces  was  made  in  due  time.  It  was  in 
early  spring  when  the  tiny  green  spears  of  grass  were  just 
beginning  to  pierce  the  loose,  black  prairie  soil.  Buds  were 
swelling  on  the  willow  trees,  and  the  venturesome  maple  was 
pushing  out  its  red  buds  at  imminent  peril  of  frost,  suspend- 
ing the  work  in  alarm  with  each  chilly  north  wind.  An 
Illinois  spring  is  a  very  disappointing  aflfair,  with  a  great  deal 
of  promise,  and  very  small  performance.  Like  a  shy  lover 
it  dallies  with  expectant  nature,  till  bolder  summer,  warm 
with  desire,  is  led  a  willing  bride  to  bowers  sweet  with  the 
perfume  of  flowers  and  growing  corn.  Alice  thought  the 
wide,  rolling  prairies  very  beautiful.  Their  novelty  was 
pleasing  to  her  eyes,  which  had  alwa3's  been  accustomed  to 
long  rows  of  stone  and  brick,  or  the  pent  up  hills  of  the 
Hudson.  She  was  charmed  with  the  clean  countr}^,  the  pure 
invigorating  air,  and  the  bright  April  sunshine  which  fell  in 
a  universal  flood,  instead  of  struggling  in  a  meager  stream 
between  lofty  buildings. 

It    so    happened    that    a    neighbor   of    Mr.  Bryce's    who 
24 


370  AN    IRON    CROWN, 

owned  a  great  deal  of  land,  had  a  quarter  section  to  rent. 
The  former  tenant  had  lost  his  wife  suddenly,  and  concluded 
to  give  up  the  place.  Any  one  hcginning  at  once  would  be 
in  time  to  get  all  the  spring  crops,  chiefly  corn,  potatoes  and 
oats,  into  the  ground  in  season.  Mr.  Bryce,  who  had  learned 
from  Norwell  nearly  all  about  his  affairs,  advised  him  to  take 
this  farm  and  work  it  one  season.  The  idea  was  a  new  one 
to  Norwell.  He  was  afraid  he  knew  too  little  about  farming. 
But  Mr.  Bryce  offered  to  tell  him  just  when  to  do  everything, 
and  inform  him  as  to  the  best  methods.  He  had  taken  a  lik- 
ing to  Norwell  and  was  anxious  to  have  him  succeed.  He 
thought  a  farm  judiciously  handled  belter  than  twenty  dollars 
a  week  in  the  city  with  heavy  living  expenses.  Alice  was 
ready  to  favor  the  idea  because  it  might  wean  Tom  from  his 
dangerous  inclination  to  risk  money  in  speculation,  whereas 
his  present  business  threw  him  directly  into  the  midst  of  it. 
Norwell  concluded  to  remain  over  another  day  to  look  at  the 
farm,  and  telegraphed  the  firm  that  he  should  be  detained 
longer  than  he  expected. 

May  was  delighted  to  have  Alice  Norwell  with  her 
another  day.  In  truth,  she  had  always  been  secretly  in  awe 
of  that  young  lady's  superior  knowledge  of  the  world,  and 
matter  of  fact  way  of  looking  at  everything.  She  hoped  to 
establish  thoroughly  cordial  relations  with  her  future  sister- 
in-law,  and  now  began  to  believe  that  the  work  was  effectu- 
ally accomplished.  Alice  treated  her  with  a  frank  friendliness 
that  left  no  doubt  of  the  feelings  which  prompted  such  ac- 
tions. The  only  question  in  Ma} 's  mind  was  what  would 
she  say  if  she  knew  of  the  secret  engagement!  May  had 
felt  that  this  secrecy  had  been  all  wrong  from  the  beginning, 
and  as  things  stood  now  it  grew  tlaily  more  impolitic  if  not  to 
say,  improper.  But  she  left  evervthing  to  Tom  as  he  had  re- 
quested, hoping  all  would  be  well  in  the  end. 

That  Sunday  afternoon  the  girls  sat  in  May's  cosy  room 
up  stairs,  engaged  in  confidential  chat.  The  men  were  at  the 
barn,  looking  at  the  horses  and  cattle.  Mrs.  Bryce  was  in  the 
kitchen  with  apron  on  and  sleeves  rolled  up,  busy  cleaning  up 
the  dinner  dishes.  The  young  ladies  were  discussing  the  sub- 
ject of  husbands  as  young  ladies  will.  Various  theories  were 
advanced  concerning  the  nature  of  the  animal  in  question. 
His  desirable  points  were  dwelt  upon,  and  the  possibility  (  !  ) 
that  he  might  possess  undesirable  traits  alluded  to  as  a  factor 
to    be    considered.     Then   there   was    considerable    husband- 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


371 


painting  done.  The  journalist  constructs  at  times  something 
which  he  calls  a  pen-picture  of  some  noted  personage.  These 
maidenly  fancies  might  be  called  mind-pictures  of  future 
partnership  possibilities.  Alas,  the  garrets  of  maiden  im- 
maginalion  are  full  of  portraits  of  manly  hero-husbands 
whose  personality  has  never  yet  been  projected  into  this  prosy, 
selfish  world.  The  real  husband,  when  once  securely  in  the 
matrimonial  noose  where  he  can  not  easily  evade  close  in- 
spection, often  proves  but  a  sorry  hack,  compared  with  the 
knightly  ideal  which  he  resembles  about  as  much  as  a  mule 
resembles  the  spirited  Arabian  courser.  I  am  aware  that  this 
comparison  is  open  to  criticism,  but  it  is  respectfully  sub- 
mitted to  the  highest  authority  on  the  subject — wives.  Wife- 
painting  is  a  pastime  that  produces  like  unsatisfactory  results. 
Miles  and  miles  of  youthful  art  galleries  are  filled  with  glow- 
ing ideals,  half  fairy,  half  angel,  which  bear  small  resem- 
blance to  life's  great  gallery  of  womanhood,  some  in  calico, 
some  in  satin,  some  "  homely  as  a  brush  fence,"  others  beauti- 
ful— all  only  women.  Not  an  angel  among  them,  youno- 
man. 

May  Bryce  drew  an  outline,  which  in  physical  proportions 
and  personal  peculiarities,  strikingly  resembled  Tom  Norwell. 
Whether  this  was  intentional,  or  whether  it  was  an  unconscious 
expression  of  her  own  frequent  meditations,  was  not  apparent. 
At  any  rate,  if  Alice  Norwell  recognized  the  portrait  of  her 
brother,  she  said  nothing  to  indicate  the  fact.  For  her  part, 
she  replied,  that  while  it  was  well  for  every  one  to  have  an 
ideal  of  excellence  for  the  opposite  sex,  it  was  foolish  to  ap- 
propriate that  ideal  to  one's  self.  No  individual  could  attain 
in  all  things  to  the  excellence  of  the  type,  just  as  the  sculptor 
required  many  different  models  before  he  can  construct  the 
ideal  human  figure. 

Before  the  Norwells  returned  it  was  decided  that  Tom 
should  take  the  farm  and  the  farm  implements  all  ready  to  go 
to  work.  He  bought  also  a  team  of  horses,  which  the  owner 
was  willing  to  sell  at  a  great  sacrifice,  as  he  was  anxious  to  go 
to  Kansas.  Norwell  still  had  a  few  hundreds  due  him  in 
New  York  from  good  parties,  which  made  it  safe  for  him  to 
assume  these  obligations.  Mr.  Bryce  went  his  security  and 
the  whole  thing  was  arranged. 

Two  weeks  intervened  before  they  were  to  move  to  the 
farm.  During  this  period  the  Norwells  entertained  their 
friends   with   a   relation    of    their   expectations.      Tom    had 


37- 


AN    IKON    CROWN. 


figured  out  so  many  bushels  of  corn  to  be  raised  at  so  much 
per  bushel,  so  many  bushels  of  oats,  so  many  bushels  of  po- 
tatoes, so  many  tons  of  hay,  and  so  on  through  the  list.  He 
figured  out  about  one  thousand  dollars  profit  from  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  one  season. 

Wylie  was  not  so  sanguine.  He  had  been  brought  up  on  a 
farm  and  knew  about  what  could  be  done  and  what  could  not. 
He  would  have  advised  Tom  not  to  try  it  at  all  had  he  been 
consulted  before  the  lease  was  signed. 

Alice  was  very  sanguine  also.  She  had  given  up  her 
position  in  the  school  willingly,  although  the  Principal  had 
oflfered  to  raise  her  salary  at  once  to  twenty  dollars  per  week 
after  only  one  month's  experience.  She  Ijoped  to  be  able  to 
make  something  on  the  farm,  and  aid  her  brother  too;  she 
did  not  expect  to  make  so  much  as  twenty  dollars  per  week  of 
course,  but  she  would  undertake  this  for  his  sake.  She  was 
willing  to  make  almost  any  sacrifice  for  him.  Then  she 
thought  country  life  would  be  an  agreeable  change.  She  felt 
sure  she  would  like  it.  She  had  read  in  the  agricultural 
columns  of  papers  what  wonderful  things  Dame  Nature 
would  do  on  a  farm  if  only  tickled  properly,  things  by  the 
way,  seldom  done,  except  in  the  editor's  sanctum.  Each  cow 
would  produce  so  much  butter; each  hen  lay  an  egg  daily  (in- 
cluding Sunday,  for  hens  know  nothing  of  the  second  com- 
mandment); there  would  be  so  many  spring  chickens  to  sell. 
Now  Alice  was  by  no  means  ignorant  of  the  old  saw  which 
links  arithmetical  operations  with  incipient  poultry.  She 
knew  that  chickens  always  had  been  raised,  and  always  would 
be.  A  hen  could  brood  so  many,  and  allowing  for  losses,  it 
was  easy  to  tell  about  how  many  would   be  left. 

«  Mrs.  Wylie,"  Alice  remarked  one  day, «  vi^e  arS  going 
to  have  strawberries,  too,  and  I  shall  send  you  some." 

«  Oh,  that  will  be  so  nice."  Mrs.  Wylie,  like  Alice,  had  a 
rather  vague  notion  of  the  various  stages  in  the  career  of  the 
strawberry  before  it  is  placed  on  the  table  a  tempting  mass  of 
lusciousness  ready  to  be  sacrificed  in  the  interests  ot  the  cream 
and  sugar  trades.  Both  of  them  overlooked  the  fact  that  the 
strawberry  plant  in  the  natural  course  of  events  precedes  the 
strawberry  itself. 

"  Then  we  shall  have  abundance  of  peas  and  all  sorts  of 
garden  stuflT.     Oh,  you  must  come  and  see  us." 

"  Thank  you,  Miss  Norwell,  we  will.  It  would  be  so 
nice,  if  we  can  only  get  away.     I  should  like  country  fare. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  373 

I'm  tir^l  to  death  of  having  things  that  have  been  carted 
around  till  they  are  stale." 

"And  then  we  shall  have  melons,  too.  But  I'm  afraid 
we  can't  have  ice.  Bryces  hang  their  melons  in  the  well  to 
cool." 

"  And  then  it  will  be  very  nice  to  go  right  to  the  trees  and 
pick  your  cherries  and  apples  fresh.  One  need  use  only  the 
best.     I  shall  coax  Mr.  Wylie  to  go,  if  I  can," 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


LIFE     ON      THE      PRAIRIES. RAISING     GARDEN     "  SASS.    A 

SPELL    OF    WEATHER,  AND    A    BOTTOMLESS    CORNFIELD. 

Moving  day  came,  and  the  Norwells  were  duly  installed 
in  their  new  home.  The  house,  which  was  about  a  mile 
from  Bryce's,  was  a  squatty,  barn-like  structure,  witli  a  low 
kitchen  at  one  side,  the  whole  resembling  an  enormous  dry 
goods  box  with  a  smaller  one  set  against  it.  The  house  had 
once  been  painted  a  sort  of  brown,  but  the  paint  was  nearly 
all  washed  off,  except  in  streaks,  where  some  quality  of  the 
lumber  had  retained  it.  Just  now  a  dingy,  old-wood  color 
predominated.  The  barn  did  not  look  greatly  unlike  the 
house.  The  board  fence  around  the  yard  had  gone  to  rack 
badly,  and  the  former  tenant  had  milked  the  cows  in  the 
door-yard,  because  it  was  "  handy."  A  rickety  old  chain- 
pump  stood  about  two  rods  from  the  kitchen  door.  This  ma- 
chine ♦required  such  a  prodigious  amount  of  turning  before 
any  water  appeared  that  one  was  inclined  to  believe  the  whole 
thing  a  base  fraud,  like  those  bands  on  a  boy's  garments 
which  represent  fictitious  pockets,  to  the  owner's  constant 
annoyance  and  humiliation.  As  the  party  most  interested, 
the  boy  realizes  that  the  nature  of  his  possessions  require 
ample  pocket  room,  in  fact,  that  his  garments  should  be  pret- 
ty much  all  pockets. 

A  humanitarian  object  in  the  shape  of  a  martin  box, 
stuck  lop-sided  on  a  tall  pole,  leaned  dangerously  toward  the 
kitchen.  On  the  other  side  stood  another  tall  pole,  on  which 
hung  a  clumsy  bell  to  call  the  men  to  dinner.  This  pole  was 
so  shaky,  and  wobbled  so  much  when  the  bell  was  rung,  that 


374  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

its  use  always  put  Alice  into  a  tremor  of  apprehension.  Jim 
Cain,  the  hired  man,  however,  pronounced  it  safe.  The 
landscape  between  the  road  and  the  house  was  ornamented 
by  a  half-dead  pine  tree,  one  wholly  dead,  and  a  few  shaggy 
withered  rose  bushes.  Two  small,  flowering  shrubs  were 
striving  to  get  a  start  in  the  world  by  shielding  their  spind- 
ling forms  within  old  flour  barrels.  The  former  tenant 
remarked  rather  ambiguously  of  these  that  his  wife  had  set 
'em  over  'em  to  save  'em. 

The  inside  of  the  house  was  not  much  more  inviting  tlian 
the  outside.  It  was  awkwardly  arranged,  so  that  the  women 
had  to  walk  half-way  round  the  kitchen  to  get  to  the  wood- 
shed. The  kitchen  floor  was  "  dished"  into  heights  and  hol- 
lows, owing  to  the  leaking  of  the  roof,  which  warped  the 
boards.  Upstairs  Alice  was  obliged  to  change  the  hired 
man's  bed  around  from  place  to  place  when  it  rained  hard, 
in  order  to  preserve  it  from  irrigation.  When  the  rain  came 
up  in  the  night  the  hired  man  was  expected  to  shift  for  him- 
self. The  bad  condition  of  the  premises  might  be  partially 
explained  by  the  fact  that  the  house  had  never  been  occupied 
by  the  owner,  in  other  words,  it  was  a  "  tenant  house." 
Nevertheless,  it  was  neither  better  nor  worse  than  many 
houses  occupied  by  owners  themselves. 

Alice  thought  the  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  repair  the 
yard  fence,  so  as  to  keep  the  cattle  away  from  the  house. 
Tom  agreed,  and  this  was  done  at  once.  There  was  a  very 
poor  fence  around  the  garden.  That  was  repaired  next,  and 
a  gate  hung,  so  that  it  was  possible  to  enter  the  inclosure. 
The  former  tenant  had  allowed  the  garden  gate  to  fall  from 
its  hinges.  It  was  then  placed  crosswise  in  the  opening  and 
propped  in  place  by  a  rail  set  obliquely  against  it.  This  latch 
ten  feet  long  was  very  effective,  but  not  very  convenient,  as 
the  women  folks  were  obliged  to  lift  it  away  every  time  they 
entered  the  garden,  or  climb  over  at  great  risk  to  skirt  and 
limb.  The  previous  tenant  "  reckoned  things  ort  to  be  slicked 
up  a  little,  an'  he  had  'lowed  to  do  it,  but  he  'lowed  the  need- 
cessities  of  the  crops  was  of  more  importance  than  the  gyar- 
den.  It  took  him  moseyin'  lively  to  git  the  corn  crop  tended 
to."  He  and  his  wife  were  from  a  border  Southern  State, 
and  possessed  that  peculiar  dilatoriness,  which  is  by  no  means 
laziness,  and  is  brim  full  of  good-natured  intentions.  It  al- 
ways "'lows  to  git  round  to  a  thing,"  but  never  gets 
there. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  375 

"  Tom,  I  haven't  seen  any  strawberry  bed.  Bryce's  will 
bloom  in  a  few  days." 

"  Alice,  I  think  our  strawberry  bed  has  gone  on  a  vaca- 
tion." These  remarks  took  place  while  they  were  discussing 
the  possibilities  of  the  situation  a  day  or  two  after  their 
arrival. 

"  I  think  it  must  have  done  so,  but  we  must  have  another 
at  once,  if  we  expect  berries  this  season." 

"  Great  Jupiter,  do  you  think  you  can  set  out  the  plants 
and  have  strawberries,  too,  in  a  month.''" 

"  The  books  say  they  will  bear  the  first  year." 

"  Books  be  hanged!  I  tell  you  it  can't  be  done."  So  the 
Norwells  decided  that  they  would  quietly  lop  off  one  luxury, 
a  dainty  one,  from  the  list.  As  mind-gardening  gave  place 
to  ground-gardening,  other  dainty  articles  of  diet  disappeared 
one  by  one  under  the  stern  logic  of  hard  facts. 

Tom  and  the  hired  hand  were  busy  plowing  for  corn, 
while  Alice  was  industriously  cleaning  house  and  doing  some 
landscape  gardening  in  the  front  yard.  She  had  cleaned  the 
old  house  from  top  to  bottom,  laid  a  plain  carpet  in  the  best 
room,  nailed  pieces  of  tin  carefully  over  rat  holes,  and  pasted 
illustrated  papers  neatly  over  some  breaks  in  the  kitchen 
plastering.  Her  limbs  and  back  ached  fit  to  crack  at  this 
hard  labor,  to  which  she  was  unaccustomed.  But  Tom  had 
been  obliged  to  hire  a  hand,  and  they  were  not  able  to  hire  a 
girl,  too.  Then  she  learned  that  this  was  the  customary 
work  of  farmers'  wives  and  daughters.  She  could  do  what 
others  did.  She  knew  that  her  brother  sorely  needed  helj^, 
and  she  determined  to  help  him  while  she  could.  That 
might  not  be  long.  In  a  recent  letter  Arthur  Wilson  had 
asked  her  to  be  his  wife,  and  she  had  consented.  .She  had 
at  first  told  Tom,  and  it  made  him  happy  to  know  that  his 
sister  would  be  placed  above  want,  whether  their  farming 
venture  paid  or  not.  For  the  present  she  was  glad  to  make 
herself  as  useful  as  possible,  even  at  the  drudgery  of  a 
woman's  life  on  a  farm. 

One  Saturday  afternoon  Tom  and  the  hired  hand  spaded 
up  the  garden,  broke  the  clods,  leveled  the  ground,  and  laid 
off  beds  for  onions,  lettuce,  beets,  and  peas.  All  the  next 
week  the  weather  was  delightful,  and  Alice  was  busy  plant- 
ing her  garden.  It  was  with  great  pride  that  she  reported 
progress  to  the  men  folks  every  evening. 

One  thing  was  yet  lacking  which  must  be  attended   to 


376  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

soon.  They  had  no  chickens.  They  must  have  some  at 
once,  so  they  could  have  eggs  to  eat  and  raise  some  chickens. 
Tom  had  made  arrangements  to  get  the  chickens  from  a 
neighbor.  On  the  same  Saturday  afternoon  on  which  Alice 
completed  her  garden,  he  drove  over  for  the  fowls,  and 
biought  back  ten  fine  hens  and  a  rooster.  The  chickens 
were  put  to  roost  in  a  little  hen  house  back  of  the  barn,  and, 
very  tired,  the  family  retired  to  rest.  They  had  preaching 
only  every  other  Sunday  in  their  Presbyterian  church,  at 
Prairie  Grande.  As  there  was  no  service  next  day,  they  con- 
cluded to  lie  abed  late,  city  fashion,  and  take  a  good  night's 
rest.  About  eight  o'clock  they  rose,  and  the  men  went  out 
to  feed  the  horses  and  milk  the  cows,  while  Alice  got 
breakfiist. 

After  a  while  Tom  came  in  with  a  half  serious,  half  quiz- 
zical expression  on  his  face. 

"  Alice,  your  garden  is  a  great  success.  Alost  of  the  stuff 
is  up  already." 

"  Why,  that  can't  be.  The  onions  that  I  planted  Monday 
were  peeping  yesterday,  but  the  peas  hadn't  sprouted.  I  dug 
some  up  to  see." 

"  They're  up  now  any  way." 

"You're  fooling." 

"  Look  for  yourself." 

"  Peas  must  sprout  very  quick  when  they  get  started,  I 
think."  Alice  went  to  the  garden  to  look  at  this  miracle  of 
vegetation.  The  things  were  indeed  up.  The  chickens  had 
evidently  been  up,  too.  The  garden  was  scratched  into  a  wild 
chaos  of  confusion  from  one  end  to  the  other.  The  neat  bor- 
ders of  the  beds  were  obliterated  almost  completely. 

Onions  lay  here  and  there  with  their  shining  coats  con- 
spicuous in  the  morning  sun  or  half  buried  in  the  loose  soil. 
Swollen,  dropsical  peas  dotted  the  ground  whore  the  long  pea 
rows  had  been.  The  smaller,  dark-colored  seeds  modestly  hid 
themselves  as  if  ashamed  to  confess  the  ignominious  treatment 
to  which  they  had  been  subjected. 

Alice  gazed  at  the  ruin  for  some  minutes  in  dire  dismay. 
Then  she  returned  to  the  kitchen  only  to  witness  another 
domestic  disaster  on  a  smaller  scale.  At  the  door  she  was 
greeted  by  the  odor  of  "something  burning."  She  rushed 
into  the  kitchen  to  find  smoke  pouring  from  the  stove  like  an 
incipient  volcano.  Slie  had  just  put  in  two  or  three  pieces  of 
dry  board  before  going  out,  and  now  her  batch  of   l^cakfast 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  377 

biscuits  were  burned  to  a  cinder.  This  was  more  than  the 
most  equable  temper  could  be  expected  to  endure  with  un- 
ruffled composure. 

"  It  serves  you  right,  Tom,"  said  AHcc,  looking  ruefully  at 
the  smoking  biscuits,  "You  had  no  business  to  send  me  on  a 
fool's  errand.  There's  only  soggy  bread,  and  you  may  quit 
when  you  have  eaten  that." 

Somehow  Alice  found  it  a  difficult  matter  to  make  the 
bread  supply  last  as  it  should.  She  had  never  known  men  to 
have  such  voracious  appetites.  Her  brother  ate  twice  as  much 
as  he  had  ever  done  before,  and  as  for  Jim  Cain,  well,  his  ap- 
petite was  to  her  a  constant  source  of  wonder.  It  was  incom- 
prehensible to  her  how  any  human  being  could  stow  away 
such  enormous  quantities  of  bread  and  butter,  ham,  mashed 
potatoes  and  coffee.  Their  bill  of  fare  had  little  variety,  but 
he  certainly  made  up  in  quantity.  However,  Jim  was  a  tirst- 
class  hand  and  a  good  fellow,  so  he  was  made  welcome  to  all 
he  wanted,  notwithstanding  the  danger  of  exhausting  the 
larder.  Breakfast,  which  consisted  of  bread  that  had  failed  to 
rise,  fried  bacon  and  coffee,  was  dispatched  in  silence.  That 
afternoon  they  went  over  to  Bryce's,  and  Alice  sought  advice 
and  consolation  from  Mrs.  Bryce  and  May.  The  latter  offered 
to  go  and  stay  a  week  with  Alice,  and  assist  her  to  get  started 
in  housekeeping.  But  Alice  was  independent,  and  while 
profiting  by  advice,  was  determined  to  succeed  by  her  own 
efforts. 

On  the  next  Monday  morning  they  were  to  begin  plant- 
ing corn,  but  when  morning  came  it  was  raining  hard.  The 
weather  had  been  fine,  and  the  ground  in  splendid  condition. 
Now  nothing  could  be  done  that  day  or  the  next,  as  it  was  too 
wet.  For  want  of  a  better  job  the  men  penned  the  chickens 
in  the  hen-house  to  save  the  garden  from  future  devastation. 
Arrangements  were  made  for  feeding  and  watering  the  fowls. 
Next  morning  it  was  still  raining,  and  the  men  went  to  town 
after  attending  to  some  chores  in  the  barn. 

In  the  routine  of  a  farmer's  wife  there  is  no  interval  be- 
tween the  morning  work  and  the  beginning  of  preparations 
for  dinner.  Alice  sat  down  for  a  moment  to  think.  She 
looked  out  at  the  dreary,  monotonous  stretch  of  rain-soaked 
country  over  which  the  dark  clouds  hung  apparently  little 
higher  than  a  tall  tree.  The  water  stood  in  puddles  in  the 
yard  and  splashed  in  a  long  waving  line  from  the  eaves  of  the 
barn.     Its  monotonous  drip  was  everywhere.     Then  that  re- 


378  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

minded  her  that  j^erhaps  Jim's  bed  up  stairs  was  not  in  the 
best  place  to  avoid  the  dripping  water.  She  took  another 
pan  and  went  up  stairs.  Nearly  all  the  spare  tinware  and 
vessels  about  the  house  were  already  placed  under  the  leaks 
to  save  the  best  room  below.  Up  stairs  she  looked  out 
again  over  the  dull  landscape  dotted  here  and  there  in  the 
distance  by  the  dim  outlines  of  farm-buiklings.  She  felt  de- 
pressed and  lonesome.  She  wondered  liow  she  could  ever 
have  seen  anything  beautiful  in  this  dull  country,  or  how 
farmers  found  life  endurable  at  all.  She  had  no  time  to  read. 
The  Bryces,  Deacon  Brown's  folks  and  one  or  two  other 
families  were  their  only  really  intelligent  neighbors.  They 
had  a  few  books,  a  good  newspaper  and  a  popular  magazine, 
but  she  never  had  time  to  do  more  than  glance  at  the  illustra- 
tions in  the  latter.  When  she  quit  work  at  night  she  was 
actually  too  tired  to  read.  Perhaps  this  was  partly  because  she 
did  not  understand  her  work  sufficiently  to  have  it  well  in 
hand,  but  if  the  present  state  of  affairs  were  to  continue  al- 
ways she  thought  she  would  just  as  soon  not  live  at  all.  And 
yet  her  position  was  no  worse  than  that  of  thousands  of  farm- 
ers' wives  and  their  husbands,  too,  who  toil  through  life  in 
this  way,  unable  in  some  cases,  unwilling  in  many  cases,  to 
attempt  anything  better.  As  a  result  there  is  a  constant 
stream  of  intelligent  country  people  seeking  the  city  where 
they  prefer  to  subsist  on  a  pittance  rather  than  go  back  to  the 
farm.  And  yet  countiy  life  to  those  who  know  how  to  im- 
prove its  advantages  furnishes  the  greatest  amount  of  real 
happiness  to  be  found  anywhere.  The  domestic  virtues  take 
deeper  root  there.     The  farm  is  the  nursery  of  great  men. 

The  wet  weather  continued  the  third  day.  There  was  the 
same  monotonous  dripping  from  the  eaves,  as  the  rain  settled 
into  a  persistent  downpour.  The  prairies  were  soaked  like  a 
sponge,  and  every  tread  of  the  foot  caused  a  wheezy  sqush  as 
the  displaced  water  spirted  out.  The  "sloughs"  became 
creeks  of  running  water  and  overflowed  the  level  ground  near 
them.  Norvvell,  whose  animal  spirits  were  inclined  to  teeter 
up  and  down  from  a  dangerous  height  of  buoyancy  to  an  op- 
posite depth  of  despondency,  since  his  reverses,  became  ex- 
ceedingly blue.  Planting  for  some  time  would  he  out  of  the 
question;  meantime  May  was  passing  rapidly,  and  it  would 
soon  be  late  for  corn  planting.  He  tried  to  read,  but  quit 
frequently  to  scan  the  dull,  slow-moving  clouds.  He  talked 
with  Jim  on  the  prospects  for  late  corn  making  a  crop.     It 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  379 

was  a  new  experience  and  a  very  disagreeable  one  to  him,  to 
be  engaged  in  a  business  where  he  could  only  sit  and  wait. 
Disappointment  was  telling  on  his  naturally  equable  temper. 
He  grew  moody,  and  said  cross  things  to  Alice.  The  wet 
spell  continued  for  two  weeivs,  raining  every  day.  At  times 
as  the  drizzling,  persistent  rain  threatened  to  ruin  all  prospects 
of  a  crop,  Norwell  got  into  a  condition  almost  bordering  on 
desperation.  He  imagined  the  very  worst  things  possible. 
Suppose  they  were  unable  to  make  any  crop  at  all!  There 
was  nothing  ap^^arently  but  starvation  before  them.  It  was 
in  vain  that  Jim  offered  consolation  in  the  philosophical  re- 
mark that  "it  couldn't  rain  always." 

Norwell  went  over  to  Bryce's  frequently,  where  his  com- 
ing always  made  May  very  happy,  and  bis  going  left  her  mis- 
erable. She  was  happy  to  have  him  near,  and  miserable  be- 
cause she  could  not  help  noticing  that  he  was  not  the  light- 
hearted  3^oung  man  she  had  once  seen  him.  She  attributed 
this  to  his  financial  reverses,  and  tried  to  console  him  with  ar- 
guments that  riches  were  not  necessary  to  true  happiness. 
But  as  his  views  in  this  respect  were  so  directly  opposed  to 
her  own,  her  efforts  were  a  signal  failure.  Then  she  em- 
ployed those  little  arts  which  are  so  natural  to  a  refined,  in- 
teresting young  woman,  but  Tom  never  seemed  quite  at  ease. 
He  was  as  kind  as  ever,  and  observing  of  all  those  social 
courtesies  which  his  early  training  hnd  made  second  nature  to 
him,  but  there  was  something  lacking.  Finally  the  dreadful 
thought  occurred  to  her  that  possibly  he  no  longer  cared  for 
her.  He  had  always  told  lier  they  could  not  marry  till  he 
made  money.  Now,  perhaps,  he  might  want  to  be  released, 
for  riches  seemed  farther  off  than  ever.  Meantime,  she  was 
concealing  their  engagement  from  her  father  and  mother. 
She  felt  guilty,  but  her  timid  modesty  made  it  impossible  to 
speak  to  him  again  on  the  subject  of  marriage  till  he  was 
ready  to  speak  first. 

Mrs.  Bryce's  experienced  eye  soon  discovered  that  there 
was  something  more  lietween  the  young  people  than  ap- 
peared on  the  surface.  She  hinted  as  much  to  her  husband, 
but  his  answer  was: 

"  Mary,  you're  always  scart  about  something.  May  is  a 
good  girl  and  a  sensible  one.  Tom  Norwell  is  a  gentleman. 
Maybe  they  are  only  good  friends.  Just  let  'em  alone 
awhile." 

"  I   don't  know  about  letting  them    alone.     Thev    have 


3S0  AN    IRON    CUOWX. 

been  together  a  good  deal  in  New  York  and  ought  to  know 
their  minds  by  this  time.  I've  always  heard  it  said  that  a 
town  young  man  is  never  satisfied  unless  he  has  two  or 
three  girls." 

"  Shucks,  Mary,  that's  all  nonsense.  Tom  Norwell  isn't 
that  sort  of  a  man,  I'm  satisfied.  If  you  want  to,  you  might 
drop  the  child  a  hint  not  to  be  too  forward  with  him." 

"Jacob,  that  is  nonsense  too.  You  know  our  child  never 
was  forward." 

"  Then  just  say  nothing  for  awhile." 

In  spite  of  this  confidence  Mrs.  Bryce  did  give  May  a  hint 
which  was  received  with  respectful  silence,  no  word  of  reply 
being  ventured. 

During  these  wet-day  visits,  Mr.  Bryce  would,  by  his  hearty 
good  nature,  the  result  of  perfect  health,  prosj^crity  and  a  well- 
balanced  mind,  talk  Norwell  into  a  more  cheerful  mood.  The 
old  farmer  laughed  at  Tom's  fears. 

"  Never  mind  Norwell,  we'll  get  our  corn  in  all  right  yet. 
It  is  never  too  late  while  the  month  of  May  lasts.  It  is  a 
little  wetter  than  common,  but  when  you've  farmed  it  fifty 
years  you  will  get  used  to  all  sorts  o'  ups  and  downs." 

The  rain  ended.  The  hand  of  adversity  must  take  its 
turn  at  the  bottom  on  the  dial  of  events.  A  clear  sky  and 
a  warm  sun  followed  the  wet  weather.  The  water  disap- 
peared as  if  by  magic.  The  sloughs  becjimc  silver  threads  as 
they  wound  through  the  green  springing  grass  that  bent 
gracefully  before  the  current.  The  pools  sank  away  with  re- 
markable rapidity.  The  trees  sprang  into  full  leaf  under  the 
hot  sun  almost  as  if  nature  had  touched  an  electric  button  and 
set  her  machinery  in  full  operation  in  an  instant.  The  birds 
sang,  twittered  and  builded  everywhere.  The  wild  flowers 
in  the  prairies,  on  such  small  patches  as  had  never  been  dis- 
turbed by  the  plow,  began  to  show  their  bright  colors  that 
contrasted  so  well  with  the  exquisite  green  of  the  grass. 
Nature,  had  she  tried,  could  scarcely  have  produced  a  greater 
contrast  than  that  presented  between  the  cold,  drizzling, 
leaden  landscape  of  a  few  days  before,  and  this  marvelous 
scene  of  bursting  life  and  beauty.  Jim  said  it  would  be  three 
or  four  days  before  the  ground  was  dry  enough  for  corn 
planting. 

On  the  second  day  Norwell  grew  very  impatient.  He 
thought  there  was  no  need  of  waiting  so  long.  Jim  had  gone 
to  town,  and  at  dinner  tiine  Tom    announced    his   intention  of 


AN    IKON    CKOVVN.  381 

hitching  to  the  planter  and  making  a  start.  There  was  no 
water  visible  on  the  surface,  and  that  was  one  evidence  that  the 
ground  was  dry  enough.  The  whole  op'eration  was  as  new  to 
him  as  it  would  have  been  for  liim  to  attempt  to  lead  a  regi- 
ment of  soldiers  into  battle.  But  he  thought  he  was  capable 
of  managing  the  matter  without  Jim.  He  had  found  no 
serious  trouble  in  plowing,  though  it  was  awkward  at  first. 
He  harnessed  the  horses,  hitched  them  to  the  planter,  filled 
the  seed  box  with  corn,  and  di'ove  into  the  field  to  begin. 
The  ground  was  much  softer  than  he  expected.  The 
horses  sank  in  the  loose  soil  almost  to  the  knees  at  times. 
Their  feet  struck  the  ground  with  a  peculiar  plout,  plout, 
plout,  and  the  tracks  instantly  filled  witii  soft  mud  and  water. 
Under  its  own  weight  and  his,  the  machine  sank  so  deep  into 
the  loose  soil  that  its  axle  scraped  the  ground  in  places, 
making  a  broad  trail  as  if  a  barn  door  loaded  wdth  stone  had 
been  dragged  along.  It  was  with  difficulty  the  horses  could 
draw  it  as  they  floundered  in  the  mud.  Norwell  began  to 
conclude  that  it  was  rather  wet  for  planting,  but  there  was 
one  thing  sure,  he  was  getting  it  in  deep  enough. 

He  drove  along  slowly  till  he  came  to  a  place  where  the 
ground  was  hollowed  slightly  like  a  big  shallow  dish.  The 
place  looked  like  an  immense  pan  of  soft  black  pudding. 
Here  and  there  a  very  small  pool  of  water  showed  above  the 
oozy  surface.  Norwell  unhesitatingly  drove  the  team  into 
this  spot,  but  to  his  consternation  tliey  stopped,  unwilling  to 
proceed.  The  restive  animals  drew  their  feet  from  the  mud, 
only  to  sink  deeper.  The  planter  settled  into  the  ground  at 
an  astonishing  rate,  and  threatened  to  disappear  entirely. 
Norwell  urged  the  horses  forward,  but  they  obstinately 
refused  to  budge.  Then  he  jumped  off  the  ]:)lanter  to  lead 
them  and  found  himself  sinking  in  the  loose  black  mud  up  to 
his  shoe  tops.  Taking  the  horses  by  the  bits  he  tried  to  lead 
them  forward.  They  either  could  not  or  would  not  move  an 
inch.  Growing  impatient  he  struck  the  leader  a  blow  with 
the  ends  of  the  lines.  The  restive  animal  making  a  desperate 
plunge  to  free  himself,  reared  his  fore  quarters  high  in  the  air, 
and  came  down  with  a  thud,  knocking  down  his  driver. 
Tom's  feet  had  sunk  so  deep  in  the  mud  that  he  could  not  get 
out  of  the  way,  and  he  was  thrown  flat  on  his  back  with  liis 
legs  under  the  horse's  body,  which  sank  deep  into  the  oozy 
soil.  The  situation  was  an  exceedingly  dangerous  one. 
Norwell  was  uninjured  because  he  sank  into  the  mud  so  read- 


382  AN    IKON    CKOWN. 

ily,  that  the  weight  of  the  animal,  though  very  painful,  was 
not  liable  to  injure  his  limbs  immediately.  But  the  other 
horse  was  badly  frightened,  and  was  pulling  sideways  so  hard 
that  the  liarncss  would  soon  choke  his  prostrate  fellow  to 
death.  Then  if  the  animal  still  standing,  lost  his  head  and 
began  to  plunge,  he  was  very  liable  to  fall  on  top  of  both, 
and  kill  his  owner  and  his  mate. 

In  this  terrible  situation  Tom  retained  his  presence  of 
mind.  He  first  yelled  at  the  top  of  his  voice  for  assistance. 
Then,  with  much  painful  effort,  he  succeeded  in  getting  his 
jiocket-knife  out,  and  by  reaching  forward  in  a  way  that 
twisted  his  body  unmercifully,  and  made  his  legs  feel  as  if 
they  were  about  to  be  pulled  off,  he  with  much  difficulty  cut 
the  hame-string  of  the  fallen  animal,  and  insured  him  from 
choking.  This  also  enabled  the  otlier  horse  to  stand  easier, 
being  relieved  from  the  weight  of  his  fellow.  That  weight 
however,  came  so  heavy  now  on  Norwell's  thighs,  that  he 
felt  as  if  his  limbs  were  bursting.  He  called  again,  and  fortu- 
nately two  men  were  passing  along  the  road  only  a  short 
ilistance  awa}'.  They  heard  him,  and  ran  to  the  rescue.  To 
cut  away  the  harness  and  free  the  other  horse  was  but  the 
work  of  a  moment.  Then,  while  one  of  them  patted  the 
prostrate  animal  and  coaxed  him  to  rise,  the  other  grasped 
Tom's  arms  firmly,  and  prepared  to  drag  him  out  as  soon  as 
the  horse  began  to  get  up,  for  there  was  danger  that  the  animal 
might  crush  the  prostrate  man.  With  a  snort,  a  desperate 
effort  and  a  shower  of  mud,  the  horse  sprang  to  his  feet,  and 
Tom  was  extricated  in  safety.  Neither  he  nor  the  horse 
was  in  the  least  injured. 

"  You  was  in  a  mighty  ticklish  fix,  stranger,"  said  one  of 
the  men. 

"  Well,  1  was  for  a  fact.  I'm  obliged  to  you.  I  thinlv 
you  have  saved  my  life." 

Then,  as  the  ludicrous  phase  of  the  accident  struck  Nor- 
well  he  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh  followed  by  the  other  men 
who  had  been  considerately  suppressing  their  risibility.  After 
all  there  was  nothing  broken  to  speak  of,  and  nothing  hurt. 
Tom,  plastered  from  head  to  foot  with  mud,  put  the  horses 
in  the  stable  and  went  to  the  house. 

"  Why,  Tom,"  said  Alice,  "  what  on  earth  have  you  been 
doing?  " 

"  Planting  corn,  that's  all.    It's  very  muddy  work  I  find," 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE    POETRY    OF    SHEEP-SHEARING. ALSO    A    LITTLE 

BACKACHE. 

The  corn  was  finally  got  into  the  gi'ound  in  good  order 
before  the  end  of  May.  Then,  before  the  crop  was  ready  to 
cultivate,  came  sheep-shearing  with  those  farmers  who  at- 
tempted sheep-keeping  on  the  broad  prairies.  Mr.  Bryce 
as  a  large  farmer,  kept  a  little  of  every  kind  of  stock 
known  to  the  country,  and  liad  some  three  hundred  head  of 
fine  sheep.  It  was  arranged  that  Norwell  and  his  hired  hand, 
Jim  Cain,  should  assist  one  of  Bryce's  hired  men  to  shear. 

If  the  reader  does  not  already  suspect  it,  it  may  be  as  well 
to  inform  him  right  here,  that  this  narrative  has  reached  a 
poetical  period  in  its  progress.  There  is  perhaps  more  poetry 
and  traditional  sentiment  associated  with  the  sheep  or  bottled 
up  in  his  innocent  anatomy,  ready  for  instant  use,  than  in  any 
other  natural  production.  When  the  spring  poet  is  hard  put 
to  for  a  simile,  the  playful  lambkin  always  gambols  in  to  his 
assistance,  though  why  the  cub  of  the  polar  bear  has  never 
been  associated  with  the  Northwestern  spring  is  beyond  com- 
prehension. His  constitution  and  habits  certainly  fit  him  for 
enduring  the  rigors  of  a  May  blizzard  far  better  than  the 
lambkin.  This  constant  readiness  on  the  part  of  the  lamb  to 
help  poets  and  school  girl  essay  writers  out  of  a  hole  is  ex- 
ceedingly kind  of  him,  seeing  that  his  presence  is  often  de- 
manded when  a  Norther  has  caused  the  thermometer  to 
skurry  down  in  the  neighborhood  of  zero  inside  a  few  hours. 
Then  when  the  politician  or  the  political  journalist  is  in  need 
of  a  striking,  yet  simple  and  touching  figure,  he  pictures  his 
party  (which  he  calls  the  people)  as  the  immaculate  lamb, 
while  the  opposite  party  is  the  unspeakable  wolf,  whose 
mouth  waters  for  a  bite  of  this  delicious,  fresh  mutton.  Him- 
self he  poses  as  the  valiant  shepherd,  and  guards  the  fold  by 
snugly  tucking  the  lamb  into  his  own  vest  pocket.  Then  the 
theologian  dreams  of  a  time,  too,  when  the  lion  and  the  l.amb 
shall  lie  down  together,  the   lamb  outside  that   royal  sneak, 

(383) 


3S4  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

instead  of  inside,  as  has  been  tlie  custom  heretofore.  Viro;il 
found  the  himb  indispensable  to  a  species  of  poetry  caUed 
bucohc,  and  poets  have  ever  since  worked  tliis  apparently 
inexhaustible  vein,  until  the  lamb  is  as  necessary  to  the  poet- 
aster as  moonshine  is  to  penny  a  line  love.  But  as  a  type  of 
a  Northwestern  spring,  I  insist  that  we  must  have  the  polar 
bear,  or  at  least  the  arctic  fox. 

In  the  eyes  of  many  city  people  country  life  is  beatified 
by  a  constant  halo  of  poetry.  The  school  readers  of  twenty- 
five  years  ago  pictured  haying  as  a  most  romantic  and  enviable 
occupation.  They  spoke  of  tossing  the  sweet-scented  hay 
into  the  fragrant  breezes,  as  if  it  had  been  delightful  play  in- 
stead of  a  back-breaking,  throat-parching,  muscle-grinding, 
early-and-late  operation,  the  only  pleasure  pertaining  to  which 
was  the  fact  that  it  was  at  last  done.  The  writer  of  those 
very  sentimental  but  enormous  lies,  by  some  unaccountable 
summersault  of  his  imagination  (for  he  never  held  a  pitchfork 
in  his  life)  had  pictured  hay-making  as  a  vei"y  agreeable  pas- 
time, something  similar,  for  example,  to  eating  a  lemon  cream 
with  a  bewitching  young  lady.  This  description  of  hay- 
making was  as  incomprehensible  to  the  country  boy  who 
knew  all  about  it,  as  it  was  misleading  to  the  city  boy  who 
knew  nothing  about  it.  The  former  could  not  make  it  out. 
He  had  little  help  from  his  teachers,  because  school  teachers 
in  those  days,  and  very  often  nowadays  unfortunately,  were 
so  intent  on  giving  the  mill  so  many  revolutions  per  day  that 
they  never  noticed  whether  it  was  grinding  or  not,  and  thus 
often  ran  with  an  empty  hopper.  Then,  the  juvenile  brain, 
as  now,  was  often  dull,  and  the  impatient  teacher,  despairing 
of  inciting  ideas  in  the  proper  region,  frequently  attempted  to 
stimulate  them  on  other  portions  of  the  anatomy,  doubtless 
on  the  principle  of  counter  irritation.  So  if  teacher  or  pupil 
gave  this  literature  any  thought  at  all,  which  was  seldom, 
they  concluded  it  must  refer  to  hay-making  in  some  other 
world.  Had  the  writer  of  such  school  books  ever  pitched 
dusty  hay  onto  a  stack  for  twelve  hours  per  day  with  a  big 
three-pronged  fork  till  every  pore  of  his  body  dripped  sweat, 
till  his  back  seemed  ready  to  crack  every  minute,  and  his 
tongue  was  as  dry  as  a  smoked  herring,  then  perliaps  he 
would  have  known  how  to  get  a  few  bed-rock  facts  into  his 
description  of  hay-making.  And  so  the  enchantment  of 
most  agricultural  labor,  including  that  which  pertains  to  sheep 
husbandry,  lies  chiefly  in  the  fact  that  you  can  let  some  other 
fellow  perform  it. 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  385 

On  Monday  morning  all  was  ready  at  Bryce's  to  begin 
the  sheep-shearing.  The  men  were  dressed  in  their  oldest 
clothes,  and  besides  wore  blue  cotton  blouses.  Mr.  Bryce  was 
to  do  nothing  but  roll  the  wool  into  neat  fleeces,  clean  side  out, 
and  oversee  the  work  generally.  "  Boys,  you  three  ought  to 
clean  up  the  whole  three  hundred  in  three  days  easily,"  he  re- 
marked before  they  began.  Low  platforms  about  two  feet 
and  a  quarter  high  had  been  arranged  to  shear  on.  The 
sheep  were  penned  in  the  same  shed  where  they  would  be 
handy  to  catch.  The  animal  to  be  sheared  is  not  tied  in  any 
way,  but  simply  set  upright  on  its  hindquarters.  The 
shearer  places  his  left  foot  on  an  elevated  rest,  and  leans  the 
body  of  the  sheep  backward  over  his  left  thigh,  and  begins 
operations,  having  both  hands  free  to  engage  in  the  work. 
The  manure  had  lately  been  hauled  from  the  shed,  a  part  of 
which  had  no  roof.  The  night  before  a  slight  shower  had 
wet  the  smooth,  discolored,  putty-looking  ground,  and  it  was 
now  about  as  slippery  as  a  layer  of  soft  soap.  The  two  hired 
men  by  a  dexterous  dash  caught  a  sheep  apiece  and  showed 
Norvvell  how  to  begin  by  first  shearing  the  entire  head  care- 
fully, then  working  down  and  around  the  body. 

"  Now  Norwell,"  said  Jim,  "  go  in  and  catch  your  sheep." 
Norvvell  went  in.  There  was  a  twinkling  of  numerous 
sheep's  heels,  but  to  his  surprise,  among  sojnany  legs  he  was 
not  able  to  lay  hold  of  any.  He  had  been  cautioned  not  to 
catch  them  by  the  wool,  which  was  much  easier.  The  sheep, 
as  if  fleeing  for  dear  life,  scuttled  away  to  the  far  end  of  the 
shed.  Norwell  and  Mr.  Bryce  drove  them  back,  and  Tom 
prepared  for  another  dash.  About  the  center  of  the  exposed 
part  of  the  shed  was  a  little  hole  in  the  smooth  ground  filled 
with  water.  In  his  second  dash  Norwell  selected  a  particular 
sheep  which,  of  course,  made  frantic  efforts  to  evade  him. 

"  Take  any  one,"  yelled  Bryce.  As  the  twinkling  legs 
flitted  past  him  he  made  another  dash.  But  he  had  not 
noticed  the  little  pool  of  water.  His  feet  were  in  the  air  in  a 
second,  and  he  sat  down  in  that  hole  with  what  seemed  to 
him  extraordinary  celerity.  He  felt  as  if  he  had  sat  down 
with  a  striking  force  of  about  a  ton.  The  dirty  water  flew 
in  a  spray  in  every  direction.  The  shearers  dropped  their 
shears  and  devoted  themselves  for  a  brief  space  to  a  rib-start- 
ing explosion  at  this  most  ludicrous  attitude  of  Norwell  as  he 
sat  for  a  moment  in  the  hole  where  water  had  been,  but  where 
it  was  no  more.     He  rose  slowly  and  looked  into  the  little  hoi- 


3S6  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

low  which  had  just  fit  his  well-proportioned  body.  He  was 
surprised  that  the  hole  was  no  deeper;  he  thought  he  had 
sat  down  hard  enough  to  make  a  cavity  at  least  twice  as  deejD. 

"  You're  a  capital  swab,"  said  Mr.  Bryce. 

"Making  post-holes?  "  queried  Bryce's  man. 

"  How  is  the  subsoil  down  there,  Norwell?"  asked  Jim. 

"Not  so  yielding  as  I  expected."  Then  Norwell  realized 
that  he  was  dripping  from  head  to  foot  with  the  dirty  water. 
But  he  had  on  cast-ofF  clothing,  and  the  weather  was  warm. 
Then  a  man's  appearance,  which  is  everything  in  the  city,  is 
nothing  in  the  country,  particularly  in  sheep-shearing. 

Next  time  a  sheep  was  caught  with  very  little  difficulty. 
Norwell  began,  according  to  directions,  on  the  animal's  nose 
and  worked  upward  around  its  eyes  and  ears.  He  was  sur- 
prised at  the  number  of  protuberances  about  a  sheep  and 
wondered  how  they  had  survived  so  many  shearings' without 
having  been  all  clipped  off.  The  poor  sheep  realizing  that  he 
was  in  the  hands  of  a  novice,  was  uneasy,  and  suddenly 
turned  his  head.  Tom  was  horrified  at  seeing  a  vicious  slash 
of  the  stilT-springed  shears  cut  off  a  great  piece  from  one  eye- 
brow. This  was  a  sort  of  ante-mortem  not  down  on  the  bills. 
Tom  felt  uneasy  at  such  wicked  work,  but  clipped  away  and 
tried  to  mop  off  the  blood  with  bits  of  waste  wool.  Pretty 
soon  the  sheep  gave  another  sudden  turn  of  his  head,  and  the 
unfeeling  shears  lopped  off  the  point  of  one  ear.  Tom  Nor- 
well now  began  to  wish  that  some  scientist  was  present  to 
improve  the  occasion  of  so  much  vivisection.  Mr.  Bryce, 
who  happened  along,  seeing  this  surgical  operation,  said  good 
humorcdly : 

"Steady,  Norwell,  steady.  A  sheep  can  stand  a  good 
deal  of  pruning  and  not  mind  it,  but  you  must  leave  a  little  of 
him,  a  sort  of  graft,  you  know,  or  he  may  not  pull  through." 

"Mr.  Bryce,  I  tliink  you  had  better  send  for  the  coroner 
at  once.  I  don't  believe  there  will  be  enough  of  this  sheep 
left  to  make  even  a  graft  by  the  time  I  get  through,  and  the 
inquest  had  better  be  held  while  there  is  plenty  of  remains." 

"If  you  don't  reduce  him  too  much  he  will  pull  through. 
Pshaw,  he'll  not  know  the  difference  in  a  week." 

"Why  wouldn't  it  be  a  good  scheme,"  asked  Jim,  "to  put 
the  lambs'  tails  into  a  flower-pot  when  we  cut  them  off,  and 
raise  another  crop  of  lambs  from  them?" 

"Jim,  Pll  let  you  have  'em,  free,  when  you  get  ready  to 
go  into  the  sheep  business,"  replied   Mr.  Bryce.     Then  they 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  3S7 

all  laughed  uproariously  at  this  tremendous  witticism,  just  as 
the  countryman  does  at  a  circus  joke  on  its  fortieth  annual 
appearance. 

Norwell  was  surprised,  after  finishing  the  very  ticklish 
operation  of  shearing  the  head,  to  find  that  the  body  of  a 
sheep  consisted  of  little  else  but  wrinkles.  Jim  told  him  to 
straighten  them  out  with  his  left  hand.  But  the  wrinkles 
always  seemed  to  reappear  at  the  critical  moment,  and  always 
just  under  the  big,  sharp  shears.  Then  a  piece  of  skin  was 
snipped  out  which  appeared  about  the  size  of  a  dime.  But 
when  the  helpless  victim  wriggled  himself  into  a  position 
where  this  spot  was  on  a  bump  instead  of  on  a  wrinkle,  it  ap- 
peared to  Tom's  astonished  gaze  about  the  size  of  a  small  tea 
saucer.  He  clipped  away  industriously  till  his  sheep  was  half 
done,  when  he  found  to  his  mortification  that  Jim  and  the 
other  man  had  turned  loose  three  each,  and  Bryce's  man  had 
nearlv  finished  the  fourth.  Norwell  lay  down  his  shears  to  turn 
his  sheep  around  so  he  could  shear  the  other  side.  The  im- 
patient animal,  knowing  that  time  had  elapsed  more  than  suf- 
ficient for  any  operation  a  sheep  was  familiar  with,  objected  to 
a  continuance  of  the  sitting,  and  raised  himself  at  the  same 
instant  he  raised  the  objection.  He  gave  a  sudden  squirnj, 
stiflTened  his  hind  legs  on  the  platform,  bowed  his  neck,  made 
a  corkscrew  of  himself,  and  with  an  agile  bound  went  flying 
away  before  Tom  could  grab  anything  but  the  tattered  fleece. 
A  sheep's  leg  is  a  very  fragile  looking  member,  but  the 
amount  of  energy  it  can  exert  is  marvelous.  W^ith  a  few 
quick  "  sheep"  jumps  the  alarmed  animal  freed  itself  from  the 
hanging  fleece,  which  was  torn  to  shreds  and  draggled  in  the 
dirt.  With  some  difficult}'  the  victim  was  recaptured  and  put 
to  the  torture  again,  and  finally  the  shearing  was  completed. 
The  animal  when  turned  loose  was  so  spotted  with  patches 
that  it  was  diflicult  to  tell  whether  the  greater  part  of  the  skin 
had  been  removed  or  left  on.  He  resembled,  somewhat,  one 
of  those  freshly-skinned,  boiled  hams  neatly  decorated  with 
pepper  spots  by  the  deft  fingers  of  ladies,  for  the  purpose  of 
beguiling  the  coveted  quarters  from  the  pockets  of  visitors 
at  a  church  fair.  Mr.  Bryce  remarked  that  the  skin  remain- 
ing ran  in  spots  a  little,  and  perhaps  a  moi^e  regular  distribu- 
tion might  have  suited  the  sheep  better,  had  it  been  consulted, 
but,  on  the  whole,  he  supposed  there  might  be  worse  jobs.  At 
dinner  time  Norwell  had  his  third  sheep  about  half  done.  If 
he  waited  to  finish  he  should  be  late  for  dinner  at  least  half  an 


3SS  AN    IRON    CUOWN. 

hour,  SO  Bryce's  man  kindly  finished  the  clip  for  him  in  a  few 
minutes.  At  dinner  May,  who  was  waiting  on  the  table, 
asked  him : 

"  IIow  many  sheep  did  you  shear,  Mr.  Norwcll?" 

"Two  and  a  half." 

"  Two  and  a  half!     How  did  you  get  the  half  sheep?" 

"Had  help  on  that  sheep."  Norwell  could  give  or  take 
a  joke  as  well  as  anybody,  but  something  in  his  tone  seemed 
to  indicate  that  he  preferred  to  talk  in  the  presence  of  his 
lady  love  on  some  other  subject,  so  no  more  was  said  about 
the  day's  work. 

That  afternoon  all  hands  worked  silently  and  with  unre- 
mitting industry.  No  jesting  or  bantering  was  indulged  in, 
because  every  minute  must  be  put  in  to  make  a  full  day's 
work,  for  the  forenoon  start  had  been  poor.  Mr.  Bryce  was 
leady  to  talk  or  crack  a  joke  at  any  lime  when  be  had  leisure, 
but  when  he  hired  men  for  a  day's  work  he  expected  a  full 
day's  work.  His  favorite  argument  was  that  men  could  not 
work  and  talk  at  the  same  time.  The  other  men  turned 
loose  sheep  at  a  rate  which  surprised  Norwell.  The  pecul- 
iar bending  posture  necessary  to  hold  the  sheep  in  place  was 
exceedingly  tiresome.  Norwell  felt  as  if  his  back  must 
certainly  give  wav.  He  alternately  stooped  a  little  lower 
than  was  necessary,  or  raised  a  little  higher  than  was  con- 
venient, in  order  to  relieve  the  strain  on  his  aching  muscles. 
Between  these  two  extremes  there  was  a  sort  of  dead  point 
where  it  seemed  as  if  nature  could  endure  no  longer.  But 
he  held  out  manfully,  and  began  to  get  "  the  hang"  of  the 
business,  as  Jim  expressed  it.  At  night,  as  a  result  of  all  this 
torture,  Tom  had  turned  loose  seven  half-skinned,  miserable 
victims,  Jim  had  twenty-five  done  better,  while  Bryce's  man 
had  sheared  thirty-seven  as  smooth  as  velvet,  and  scarcely  a 
cut  visible. 

On  the  second  day  Norwell  felt  as  if  he  had  passed 
through  a  carpet  beating  establishment.  After  the  violent 
exercise  he  had  caught  cold  by  sitting  in  the  twilight  in  his 
shirt  sleeves  talking  to  the  men.  On  first  beginning  work 
every  movement  was  an  excruciating  torture.  As  he  stooped 
over  the  struggling  sheep  it  seemed  that  the  muscles  of  his 
back  must  be  giving  way  fiber  by  fiber,  slowly  but  surely, 
like  the  strands  of  a  loose  rope  subjected  to  a  great  strain,  and 
that  sooner  or  later  they  would  part  with  a  sudden  snap. 
Then,  like  Captain   Kidd,  he  swore  a  great  oath  that  he  was 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  389 

not  cut  out  for  a  farmer,  only  his  oath  was  a  powerful  mental 
one,  while  the  malediction  of  the  celebrated  pirate  is  said  to 
have  been  very  tangible. 

There  is  a  little  story  (doubtless  as  old  as  the  f;\ct  that  it 
illustrates)  of  a  Teutonic  parent  who  castigated  his  offspring 
severely  for  swearing.  The  boy,  nowever,  so  stoutly  asserted 
his  innocence  that  the  rod  of  discipline  hung  for  a  moment 
suspended  in  doubt.  Though  the  Teutonic  mind  moves 
slowly,  it  exhibits  no  little  fertility  of  resource.  After  a 
pause  of  painful  interest  to  the  party  of  the  second  part, 
Mine  Herr  evolved  the  following  startling  conclusion: 
"  Veil,  dot  bin  all  right,  Hans,  if  you  tidn't  schwear.  But 
you  tinks  tavimit  now,  an'  I  yoost  vips  you  for  dot."  The 
logic  of  jMine  Herr,  though  perhaps  a  trifle  caustic,  is  based 
after  all  on  a  principle,  for  a  sin  of  the  imagination  may  be, 
in  fact  usually  is,  the  parent  of  a  sin  in  fact. 

Norwell  went  home  in  no  very  good  humor.  He  was 
disgusted  with  the  world  and  with  himself.  He  left  Bryce's 
without  saying  good-night  to  May.  He  reached  home  half 
disposed  to  find  fault  with  his  sister  for  urging  him  to  take 
the  farm.  He  was  in  that  disagreeable  mood  which  most  of 
us  have  sometimes  when  the  whole  world  appears  to  be 
down  on  us,  and  we,  ready  to  give  as  good  as  we  get,  are 
down  on  the  whole  world.  At  such  times  the  quarrelsome 
man  is  itching  to  knock  somebody  down,  the  mean  man  goes 
home  and  acts  ugly  in  his  fomily,  the  bibulous  man  goes  out 
and  gets  gloriously  full,  and  the  Christian— ^well,  even  a 
Christian's  wife  and  children  know  when  he  is  in  a  bad 
humor  by  the  way  he  kicks  the  cat,  for  example.  He  forgot, 
in  fact,  like  many  men,  he  scarcely  realized  what  the  woman 
of  the  house  had  been  doing.  His  muscles  often  ached,  it  is 
true.  Hers  ached  daily  as  she  cooked,  washed,  swept, 
baked,  churned,  fed  the  poultry,  made  beds,  washed  the 
dishes,  polished  the  stove,  hoed  the  garden,  and  so  on  through 
an  interminable  list  of  petty,  vexatious  details.  Then  Alice 
was  only  a  sister.  A  wife  might  besides  have  had  the  care 
of  several  children  to  double  her  daily  labors. 

A  neighbor  had  brought  a  letter  that  day  from  the  post- 
office.  Alice  noticed  that  it  bore  the  New  York  postmark, 
and  that  the  address  was  in   Chetta  Ingledee's  hand. 

"  Here  is  a  letter  for  you,  Tom."  He  opened  the  letter 
and  read  it  in  silence. 

"Any.  special  news    from    our    New  York  friends?"   she 
I    ventured  to  inquire. 


390  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Nothing  of  interest."  This  was  said  in  a  tone  which 
plainly  indicated  that  he  did  not  wish  to  be  questioned  on  the 
subject.     After  a  pause  of  a  few  minutes,  she  remarked: 

"Tom,  the  chickens  are  not  doing  well  shut  up." 

"  Why  not?" 

"  They  have  nearly  stopped  laying.  Mrs.  Smith  says 
they  will  do  no  good  in  conlinement." 

"  I  wish  Mrs.  Smith  would  stay  away  from  here  if  she 
has  nothing  else  to  do  but  put  fort}'  things  into  your  head  for 
mc  to  attend  to." 

''Why  it  is  nothing  to  Mrs.  Smith,"  retorted  Alice,  in 
some  surprise,  "what  we  do  with  our  chickens.  I  think  my- 
self if  we  want  eggs  or  young  chickens  we  must  turn  the 
hens  out." 

"  The^-'ll  scratch   up  the  garden." 

"  I  will  watch  them." 

"  All  right,  I'll  turn  them  out  in  the  morning.  But  I 
want  nothing  more  to  do  with  them." 

After  that  Alice  had  to  run  out  fifty  times  per  day,  more 
or  less,  to  "  shoo"  the  chickens  out  of  the  garden.  Then 
Tom  got  a  big  dog  to  guard  it,  but  he  created  more  havoc 
chasing  the  fowls  over  the  beds  than  the  chickens  did  them- 
selves. So  the  dog  was  tied  up  and  had  to  be  fed  three  times 
per  (iay. 

June  was  a  propitious  month.  The  crops  all  gave  most 
excellent  promise.  The  corn,  in  spite  of  late  planting,  was 
looking  first-rate.  When  they  first  began  cultivating  it  Tom 
was  afraid  to  plow  close  to  the  rows  lest  he  might  uproot  the 
young  plants.  Jim  told  him  to  plow  closer.  By  a  dexterous 
manipulation  of  the  cultivator  Jim  could  throw  the  loose  soil 
up  around  the  corn,  covering  the  young  weeds  completely, 
and  the  corn  at  once  shot  up  in  a  strong  stalk.  Norwell's 
rows  on  the  other  hand  showed  a  long  green  ribbon  of  weeds 
that  nearly  smothered  the  corn.  It  took  him  some  days 
to  master  what  seemed  at  first  very  easy.  Under  the 
propitious  influences  of  a  hot  June  sun  and  the  most  fertile  of 
soils  the  corn  grew  so  fast  that  it  was  no  violent  strain  of  the 
imagination  to  fancy  one  could  see  it  grow.  This  dark- 
gieen,  stately,  semi-tropical  plant  puts  to  shame  with  its 
glowing  beauty  of  blade,  tassel  and  plume,  the  most  pre- 
tentious exotic  that  ever  languished  inider  glass.  And  yet 
tliis  prince  of  all  plants,  like  a  prophet,  has  little  honor  in  its 
own  country,  being   constantly    associated    with  that   unclean 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  39I 

beast,  the  hog.  Inseparable  they  have  gone  into  history  to- 
gether in  the  Southwestern  dish  known  as  "  hog  and 
hominy." 

While  things  were  going  so  well  on  the  farm  in  general, 
Alice's  department  did  not  flourish.  The  neighboring 
women  were  selling  eggs  and  butter  enough  to  buy  groceries 
for  their  families,  calicoes,  shoes,  and  in  some  instances  "  hick- 
ory" to  make  the  men  everyday  shirts.  The  more  thrifty 
farmers,  however,  bought  their  supplies  in  larger  quantities 
to  be  paid  for  when  tiie  crops  were  sold. 

Alice  Norwell's  schemes  did  not  prosper.  Her  hens  after 
much  tribulation  and  effort  had  hatched  about  fifty  chickens. 
But  alas!  a  few  wet  days  appeared  simultaneous  with  the 
chicks,  and  half  the  unfoitunate  infants  died  with  the  gapes. 
This  disease  was  checked  with  dry  weather,  and  about  twen- 
ty-five thrifty  young  fowls  promised  a  reward  for  so  much 
trouble.  But  there  is  a  tide  in  the  afl^liirs  of  chickens  as  well 
as  men.  In  fact,  in  this  case  there  were  two,  and  the  second 
swept  away  the  remnant  left  by  the  first.  Suddenly  the 
young  chickens  began  to  disappear  at  night.  They  were  not 
large  enough  to  tempt  any  one  to  steal  them,  hence  there 
was  an  unsolved  mystery  about  the  matter  somewhere.  The 
dog  was  securely  tied,  but  he  barked  and  scratched  a  great 
deal  in  the  night.     Still  the  chickens  disappeared  regularly. 

One  day  the  former  tenant  of  the  place  (who  after  all 
with  characteristic  inertia  had  not  worked  up  his  courage  to 
the  point  of  emigrating  to  Kansas)  called,  and  on  hearing  the 
mystery  of  the  missing  chickens,  pronounced  it  no  mystery 
at  all. 

"  I  'low  the  varmin  has  done  took  'em." 

"The  varmin!  What  is  that?"  inquired  Tom.  The  man 
stared   in  surprise  at  such  astounding  ignorance,  then  replied: 

"  Waal,  all  sorts  o'  wild  truck,  sich  as  skunks,  an'  'pos- 
sums, an'  coon.  I  'low  mebbe  this  hyur  tarnal  critter  was  a 
mushrat.  There's  a  right  smart  sprinklin'  uv  them  this  year. 
Let  the  dog  loose  at  night." 

That  night  "  Bounce"  was  untied,  and  next  morning  a 
huge  musk  rat  lay  dead  in  the  yard,  the  victim  of  over-confi- 
dence. Meantime  all  the  ypung^  chickens  were  killed  but 
one  ungainly  rooster.  As  an  only  child  this  bird  assumed  un- 
usual privileges.  He  grew  to  be  a  great,  clumsy,  comical- 
looking  thing,  and  had  so  much  self  assurance  that  in  a  hap- 
py streak  of  facetiousness  Jim  Cain  called  him  after  a  certain 


392  AX    IROX    CROWN. 

statesman  of  national  reputation  and  monumental  brass. 
The  "statesman  "  helped  himself  to  the  best  there  was  going. 
He  was  an  indefatigable  forager  in  the  kitchen,  to  Alice's 
great  annoyance.  As  the  solitary  spring  chicken  remaining, 
he  realized  that  certain  immunities  were  his.  He  held  such 
an  important  place  in  the  famil}''  interests  that,  in  a  letter  to 
her  friend,  Mrs.  Wylie,  who  had  not  yet  been  able  to  visit 
the  Norwells,  Alice  referred  to  this  relic  of  her  crop  of 
spring  chickens. 

There  was  a  fine  crop  of  delicious  cherries,  and  Alice  de- 
termined to  dry  some  after  canning  all  she  wished.  With 
much  labor  she  removed  the  pits  from  enough  to  cover  a 
large  wooden  board,  which  she  placed  in  the  sun  on  the  low 
roof  of  the  woodshed.  But  the  statesman,  like  his  human 
namesake,  could  scent  spoils  even  when  they  were  invisible. 
With  much  effort,  for  he  was  a  heavy  bird,  he  flew  and  just 
missed  landing  on  the  roof.  By  holding  on  with  his  head  to 
the  eaves,  while  he  flapped  furiously  with  his  wings  and 
worked  his  long  legs  with  marvelous  rapidity,  he  at  last  sur- 
mounted the  difficulty  and  reached  the  roof,  where  with  bus-  _ 
iness-like  dispatch  he  devoured  all  the  cherries  unobserved. 
Alice  had  heard  him  fly  up  there  and  thought  nothing  about 
it.  But  her  wrath  was  kindled  at  this  crowning  outrage,  and 
she  demanded  the  statesman's  life.  But  courageous  woman 
that  she  was,  she  could  not  bear  to  kill  a  chicken.  The  men 
admired  the  statesman's  comic  antics,  and  would  not.  The 
muskrats  dared  not,  and  so  this  solitary  spring  chicken  lived 
and  flourished. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

A    WESTERN    CYCLONE. HOW    RAILROADS    DIVIDE    WITH 

THE    FARMER. 

It  was  midsummer  and  the  weather  was  exceedingly  hot. 
The  corn  had  sprung  up  with  wonderful  rapidity  and  was 
now  in  tassel.  The  potatoes  had  grown  till  they  had  burst 
their  hills  open  in  wide  cracks.  All  nature  was  in  fact,  as 
lavish  of  her  wealth  as  she  knew  how  to  be  in  these  regions 
of  wonderful  fertility. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  393 

One  hot  day  late  in  July  Norwell  and  his  man  were  busy 
finishing  the  hay  harvest.  The  sun  blazed  from  a  cloudless 
sky,  and  the  heat  was  most  oppressive  on  the  prairies.  There 
was  not  a  breath  of  air  stirring.  The  cattle  sought  the  shade 
of  the  scrub-oak  groves,  where  the  dumb  creatures  waged 
incessant  warfare  with  the  remorseless,  green-headed,  blood- 
thirsty fly.  The  hogs  rooted  fresh  places  in  the  very  damp- 
est ground  or  plunged  directly  into  the  pools  of  the  fast-fail- 
ing creek  where  they  were  fortunate  enough  to  have  access 
to  the  stream.  The  birds  were  silent  and  inactive  in  the 
orchards  and  long  osage  hedges.  The  chickens  moped 
sluggishly  with  drooping  wings,  the  very  picture  of  abject 
discomfort  in  this  sweltering,  stifling  heat.  The  leaves  on  the 
trees  hung  with  a  slightly  wilted,  limp  appearance,  and  in- 
clined to  expose  their  whitish  under  sides,  tmmoved  by  the 
stagnant  atmosphere.  The  heat  rose  from  the  baked  earth 
in  a  visible,  faint-bluish  vapor,  that  continually  zig-zagged 
upward  with  a  tremulous  motion.  The  shirts  of  the  laborers 
were  as  wet  as  if  they  had  been  dipped  in  water.  The  horses 
looked  as  if  they  had  just  emerged  from  a  bath  in  the  river. 

Away  off  to  the  southwest  there  had  hung  all  day  low  in 
the  horizon  a  long  bank  of  beautiful  fleecy  "  thunderheads." 
These  exquisite  creations  of  the  atmosphere  looked  like  a  fairy- 
land. The  silvery,  motionless  masses  of  clouds,  extending  in  a 
long  line,  slffirply  defined  against  the  soft  blue  sk}^,  looked 
strikingly  like  a  chain  of  snow-capped  mountains  in  the  far 
distance.  The  fleecy  piles  rose  high  at  irregular  intervals  like 
peaks,  and  had  apparently  all  the  stability  of  land.  Their 
brilliant  edges  alone  were  too  conspicuous  to  carry  out  the 
illusion  fully.  This  delicate  line  looked  like  a  burnished  alloy 
of  silver  and  gold,  in  which  the  gold  showed  plainest.  To 
the  poetic  imagination  there  is  no  more  romantic  phenom- 
enon of  nature,  than  these  piles  of  fantastic,  ever-changing 
clouds. 

Jim  Cain,  however  lacking  in  poetic  appreciation  of  this 
beautiful  spectacle,  was  weather-wise  enough  to  read  in  it  a 
coming  storm.  Accustomed,  as  a  natural  consequence  of  his 
out  door  life,  to  observe  closely  the  phenomena  of  nature,  he 
knew  all  "  signs,"  and  prophesied  a  thunder  storm  in  the 
afternoon.  They  labored  diligently  to  finish  the  hay  before 
rain  came.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  long  line  of 
clouds  began  to  rise  slowly  and  show  beneath  it  a  black  band. 
In  this  dark  belt  an  occasional  flash  of  lightning  was  visible, 


394  ^^    IRON    CROWN. 

and  before  long  the  low  rumblinj^  of  thunder  could  be  heard. 
The  black  belt  of  clouds  increased  rapidly  in  width  and  filled 
the  whole  horizon  in  the  west.  Suddenly  these  apparently 
motionless,  fleecy  masses  seemed  driven  rapidly  onward  by 
some  force  behind.  Their  color  became  an  inky  black  as  the 
still  unoliscured  sun  shone  on  them,  and  this  black  mass  rapidly 
filled  the  western  sk}-.  Now  the  upper  edge  lost  its  fleecy  out- 
lines as  it  was  pushed  on  by  the  inky  masses  behind.  The  sun 
was  obscured  and  the  heavens  grew  dark.  The  fore  part  of  the 
advancing  cloud  now  high  in  the  heavens,  began  to  look  like 
a  frightful  dark  pall  with  an  irregular,  fringing,  lower  edge 
torn  into  flying  shreds.  The  inky  belt  below  changed  into  a 
leaden  gray,  through  which  the  lightning  played  incessantly 
and  the  thunder  rolled  in  deafening  peals.  The  frightened 
birds  and  animals  sought  refuge.  It  became  almost  as  dark 
as  night.  Still  there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind,  or  a  drop  of 
rain. 

Suddenly  a  mighty  fragment  of  the  great  ragged  curtain 
seemed  to  drop  toward  the  ground  in  the  sJiape  of  an  enor- 
mous funnel,  which  lengthened  into  a  huge,  rope-like  body, 
that  could  be  seen  to  revolve  with  frightful  velocity.  This 
mighty  column  with  a  great  funnel-shaped  top  now  appeared 
to  shoot  ahead  of  the  other  clouds^  and  move  forward  with 
the  speed  of  a  race  horse.  It  was  the  dreaded  cyclone  on  its 
awful  career  of  devastation.  People  sought  their  cellars  in 
terj-or,  and  waited  for  the  worst.  The  black  column  sped 
swiftly  past  from  west  to  east  about  two  miles  south  of 
Norwell's.  A  horrible  roaring  noise  accompanied  its  move- 
ments. It  was  not  merely  air  in  motion.  It  was  some 
giant  force  striking  a  mighty  blow.  \Vith  the  crash  of  a 
thousand  hammers  it  struck  buildings  and  instantly  crushed 
them  into  kindling  wood.  It  leaped  from  the  ground  only 
to  bound  down  again  witli  increased  force.  It  was  an  electric 
discharge,  a  palpable  1  bunder  clap  with  the  speed  of  a  can- 
non ball  and  the  strength  of  an  earthquake.  It  was  a  black 
and  nameless  terror  that  bore  death  and  desolation  in  its 
wanton  career,  and  rivaled  nature's  deadliest  scourges. 

Houses  and  other  buildings  were  wrenched  from  their 
foundations  and  scattered  far  and  wide,  till  scarcely  one  beam 
remained  fast  to  another.  Trees  were  torn  fiom  their  roots 
or  twisted  round  and  round  till  the  trunk  was  one  mass 
of  long  splinters.  The  water  was  lifted  from  the  beds  of 
streams    in    a    body,  and    scattered    to    the    winds.      Curious 


AM    IRON    CROWM.  395 

pranks  were  played  by  the  cyclone.  One  house  was  turned 
round  on  its  foundations,  with  little  injury,  till  it  faced  the 
south  instead  of  the  east.  A  rail  was  driven  endwise  through 
a  door  leaving  a  clean  round  hole  such  as  a  cannon  ball  makes. 
Articles  of  furniture  and  apparel  were  dangling  in  the  tops  of 
trees.  Scraps  of  paper  were  found  at  a  distance  of  one  hun- 
dred miles  from  the  place  whence  they  started.  Fortunately 
this  track  of  devastation  was  only  about  half  a  mile  wide. 
But  the  cyclone  had  left  desolation  and  mourning  behinil  it. 
Several  people  had  been  killed  outright,  and  a  greater  num- 
ber injured. 

After  the  excitement  caused  by  the  cyclone  had  subsided, 
things  settled  again  into  the  quiet  routine  of  farm  life.  May 
Brj'ce  had  obtained  Tom's  consent  that  she  might  inform 
her  parents  of  their  engagement  with  the  understanding  that 
he  wished  it  for  the  present  to  remain  a  secret.  Alice  was 
not  to  know  till  Tom  succeeded  in  making  money,  a  notion 
which  he  persisted  in,  despite  of  its  absurdity.  Mr.  Bryce 
was  pleased  with  the  prospect  of  having  Norwell  for  a  son- 
in-law.  He  thought  him  a  very  "  likely  "  young  man.  Mrs. 
Bryce  was  scarcely  pleased,  either  with  May's  choice  or  the 
manner  in  which  the  choice  was  made,  but  she  sensibly  ac- 
quiesced, realizing  that  opposition  then  could  be  prolific  only 
of  harm. 

May  was  now  supremely  happy,  the  happiest  she  had 
ever  been,  the  fear  of  offending  her  parents  having  been  re- 
moved. She  had  Tom  all  to  herself  here,  and  with  the  sense 
of  exclusive  possession,  the  old  morbid  fear  of  Chetta  Ingle- 
dee's  power  died  out,  or  at  least  slumbered.  Her  health  im- 
proved. Her  rosy  cheeks  assumed  a  natural  hue.  Her  old 
time  buoyancy  returned.  Norwell  thought  she  grew  more 
bewitching  every  day.  Still,  he  was  dimly  cognizant  of  a 
feeling  that  the  companionship  of  this  trusting  girl  with  her 
country  manners,  did  not  satisfy  him,  and  he  in\ariably  on 
such  occasions  compared  her  with  Chetta  Ingledee,  whose 
prompt   decisiveness   of   character  was   more   to    his    notion. 

Alice  was  not  to  be  deceived.  She  had  told  her  brother 
of  her  engagement  to  Wilson  at  an  early  date.  But  he  gave 
no  sign  of  making  the  confidence  mutual.  She  had  for  a  long 
time  known  that  May  loved  him  dearly,  and  suspected  that 
there  was  an  understanding  between  them.  As  time  wore  on 
she  had  seen  several  of  those  letters  bearing  the  New  York 
postmark.       Alice    Norwell   knew  perfectly   well    that    most 


396  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

men  arc  capable  of  a  little  flirtation  sometime  in  their  lives. 
She  suspected  Tom  and  grew  indicjnant  at  the  thou<iht  of  his 
playing  with  the  feelings  of  a  confiding,  inexperienced  girl.  As 
for  Chetta,  well,  she  thought  that  young  lady  was  abundantly 
able  to  take  care  of  herself,  She  determined  to  speak  to  Tom, 
and,  one  evening  when  Jim  was  away,  broaclied   tlie  subject. 

"Tom,  will    vou  be  over  at  Bryce's  anv  time  this  week?" 

«  Yes,  probably.     Why?" 

"  I  want  to  send  Alay  the  last  magazine." 

"  I'll  take  it  over," 

"  I  suppose  you  might  read  the  stories  to  her." 

«  I  might,  if  she  liked  it." 

"  Tom,  I  think  she  would  like  it."  Tom  made  no  reply 
to  this  bid  for  his  confidence. 

"  May  is  a  good  girl,  Tom.  She  will  make  a  lovely 
woman." 

"  Of  course  she  will.     Who  said  she  wouldn't?" 

"You  must  be  getting  quite  well  acquainted  with  her." 

"  Oh,  so,  so." 

"  I  suppose  you  have  thought  this  matter  over,  Tom. 
You  are  aware  that  when  a  single  gentleman  pays  continued 
attention  to  a  young  lady  something  is  usually  expected  to 
come  of  it." 

"People  have  been  talking,  eh?  Well,  let  them.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bryce  are  the  only  ones  who  have  any  right  to  tlis- 
cuss  the  subject."      This  hint  did  not  deter  Alice. 

"  Perhaps  tliey  might  say  something,  too,  if  they  knew 
some  things.  Tom,  how  can  you  pay  such  attentions  to  Miss 
Bryce,  and  continue  your  relations  with  Miss  Ingledee  at  the 
same  time?" 

"  What  relations?      What  do  you  mean?" 

"  I  mean  those  letters." 

"  That's  notliing,  only  old  friendship." 

"Then  it  should  be  understood  by  all.  Otherwise,  your 
course  is  not  honorable."  This  nettled  him.  He  was  deter- 
mined to  end  these  interferences  on  the  part  of  his  sister. 

"  Alice,  you  seem  to  think  I  need  a  guardian  by  the  way 
you  advise  me.  You  think  we  should  have  been  better  off  if 
I  had  taken  your  advice  oftener.  I  admit  that.  But  I  am  no 
boy.  In  the  selection  of  my  friends  I  must  reserve  the  right 
to  do  as  I  please.     I  can  manage  those  aflfairs  myself." 

"  Very  well,  Tom.  I  only  stated  how  it  looked  to  others. 
You,  of  course,  must  decide  for  yourself.  Think  it  over  well 
and  do  what  is  right." 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  397 

«  You're  afraid  FU  do  something  that  isn't  right,  are  you?" 

"  No,  not  that,  Tom.  But  it  is  well  to  review  our  own 
actions  occasionally."  He  was  too  well  bred  to  get  angry 
and  quarrel  with  his  sister,  and  she  had  too  much  good  sense 
to  carry  matters  too  far  at  first.  Still,  there  was  some  ill- 
feeling  on  his  part  and  a  deep  indignation  on  hers.  Nothing 
more  was  said  on  the  subject.  Alice  would  have  felt  a  little 
guilty  to  repeat  this  conversation  to  May;  besides,  it  would 
not  have  been  safe,  as  she  did  not  know  just  how  matters 
stood  between  her  l3rother  and  May  or  Chetta.  Tom,  how- 
ever, ordered  the  postmaster  to  deliver  his  letters  onl}^  to 
himself.  A  few  days  after  this  conversation,  Alice  was  at 
Prairie  Grande  and  called,  as  usual,  at  the  postoffice  for  their 
mail.  The  postmaster  handed  her  two  or  three  papers  and  a 
letter  for  herself  through  the  little  window. 

"  Is  there  nothing  more?" 

«  No." 

"Nothing  for  my  brother?" 

"  Yes,  here  is  a  letter  for  Thomas  Norwell,  but  I  have 
orders  not  to  deliver  his  mail  to  anybody  but  himself." 

"  I  will  take  that.     It  is  for  my  brother." 

"  I  have  orders  not  to  let  it  go.  Miss  Norwell." 

"  But  I  am  his  sister." 

"  That  makes  no  difference.  1  have  strict  orders  not  to 
deliver  his  mail  to  an^  one  else." 

Alice  turned  away  from  the  little  window,  inexpressibly 
pained.  She  understood  why  the  mail  was  refused  to  her. 
Her  brother,  who  had  been  her  playmate  and  almost  her 
second  self  all  their  lives,  was  now  estranged  beyond  recon- 
dliation.  He  had  even  allowed  a  ^stranger  to  become  cog- 
nizant of  the  alienation.  She  harbored  no  bitter  feelings. 
She  still  loved  that  brother,  and  would  make  any  required 
sacrifice  for  him  because  he  was  her  brother,  but  the  old 
mutual  trust  and  affection  was  a  thing  of  the  past,  never  more 
to  return. 

Autumn  came,  and  with  it  the  gorgeous  Indian  summer. 
The  weather  was  delightful,  the  roads  good,  and  life  in  the 
country  at  its  very  best  in  this  most  enjoyable  of  all  seasons. 
There  was  now  inore  leisure.  There  was  not  the  continual 
hurry  to  get  a  crop  into  the  ground,  or  to  get  it  off.  Corn 
husking  had  not  begun,  and  the  fall  seeding  proceeded  lei- 
surely. Country  fairs  were  in  full  operation.  Prize  bullocks 
and  prize  pumpkins  abounded,  while  rosy-cheeked  country 


398  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

girls  in  Sunday  "  rig,"  with  their  »  fellers  "  at  their  sides, 
took  in  the  fair  and  the  circus,  consuming  betimes  vast  quan- 
tities of  insipid  lemonade,  popcorn,  candy  and  peanuts. 

Apple  cuttings,  too,  were  popular.  At  these  gatherings 
from  forty  to  fifty  young  folks,  and  some  old  ones  assemble. 
The  evening  is  passed  in  hilarious  enjoyment,  paring  and  cor- 
ing apples,  cracking  ancient  rural  jokes,  and  sparking  on  the 
sly  incessantly.  The  apple  paring  continues  until  about  ten 
o'clock,  when  the  debris  of  cores  and  rinds  is  cleaned  up, 
which  operation  is  accompanied  by  a  great  deal  of  boisterous 
fun.  Many  a  pretty  damsel  finds  her  fair  neck  encircled  by  a 
rather  uncomfortable  necklace  of  long  apple  rinds  clammy 
with  juice.  Cores  and  even  whole  apples  fly  across  the  room. 
And  occasionally  some  gay  youth  who,  perhaps,  had  similar 
designs  on  some  one  else  in  the  room,  receives  such  a  flying 
missile  full  in  the  optic,  filling  tliat  necessary  organ  with 
mingled  cider  and  tears,  to  the  utter  discomfiture  of  its 
owner. 

After  the  house  has  been  "  rid  up,"  the  guests  are  regaled 
with  cookies,  enormous  wedges  of  cake  and  quarter  sections  of 
pies.  After  refreshments  the  "playing"  begins,  for  the  old- 
fashioned  plays  still  linger  in  the  country,  and  perhaps  will 
endure  for  all  time  in  spite  of  the  steam  engine,  the  telegraph, 
the  telephone  and  the  daily  newspaper.  "Under  the  Juniper 
tree,"  "Fostofllce,"  "Spat  'em  out,"  anil  "Copenhagen"  are 
great  favorites.  Few  games  are  popular,  which  require  an}' 
particular  literary  culture.  Copenhagen,  which  is  so  well 
known  as  to  need  no  description,  is  in  some  localities  very 
popular  because  the  young  folks,  more  ingenuous  than  their 
city  bred  cousins,  tacitly  admit  that  osculation  is  pleasant.  It 
is  amusing,  and  withal  a  lesson  in  social  economy  to  see  some 
great  strapping  country  girl  "tag"  the  most  modest  and  best 
looking  boy  in  the  company,  and  then  fly  round  the  circle 
like  mad  to  evade  the  forfeit  of  a  kiss,  all  the  time  secretly 
hoping  he  will  overtake  her.  On  the  other  hand  some  of  the 
yountr  nien  persistently  display  their  want  of  gallantry  and 
gentlemanly  instinct  by  slighting  the  homely  girls.  This 
species  of  young  man,  however,  is  not  confined  to  the  coun- 
try. He  is  found  everywhere,  and  there  is  no  more  conceited, 
disagreeable  little  puppy  in  existence.  These  rural  gather- 
ings were  a  constant  source  of  interest  to  Alice  Norwell,  who 
contrasted  the  hearty,  though  at  times  rude  enjoyment  found 
here,  with  its  antij^odes,  the  artificial,  elegant  society  of  New 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  399 

York.  Tom  enjoyed  them  with  a  thorough  zest,  though  he 
never  could  quite  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  country  dance. 
Next  to  a  cyclone  or  a  moderate  earthquake,  this  saltatory 
amusement  is  most  unsettling  to  the  house  in  which  it  takes 
place. 

One  disagreeable  autumn  day  Deacon  Brown  called  to  see 
Norwell  on  some  business.  Tom  was  absent,  and  the  Deacon 
seemed  disposed  to  await  his  return.  It  was  a  wet  day,  one 
of  the  first  of  the  fall,  and  the  visitor,  who  could  do  nothing 
at  home,  ensconsed  himself  by  the  kitchen  stove.  Alice  was 
baking  bread,  and  when  the  Deacon  got  into  the  corner  by 
the  wood  box  she  found  it  rather  close  quarters,  when  she 
wished  to  look  at  the  bread,  or  put  wood  in  the  stove.  She 
was  obliged  to  edge  in  sidewise  past  his  shins  to  get  at  the 
wood  which  was  needed  every  few  minutes.  The  Deacon  sat, 
unconcerned  after  the  first  trial,  for  he  saw  the  thing  could  be 
done,  and  so  troubled  himself  no  more  about  it.  To  her 
horror  he  deliberately  spit  in  the  woodbox  among  the  wood. 
The  Deacon  was  incurably  addicted  to  this  habit  of  ptyalism, 
which  becomes  inveterate,  aiid  is  so  disagreeable.  Our  Eng- 
lish cousins  very  properly  denounce  this  unclean  practice, 
which  they  call  an  Americanism.  With  their  customary 
superficial  knowledge  of  this  country,  they  think  the  Ameri- 
can spits  because  he  finds  pleasure  in  it.  They  overlook  the 
causes  of  the  disgusting  habit.  One  is  the  filthy  use  of  to- 
bacco; another  important  one  is  the  improper  use  of  very 
heartv  food,  particularly  such  as  salt  pork  and  greasy  com- 
pounds which  injure  the  digestiv^e  organs.  The  first  is  a  vice, 
the  second  a  sin  of  ignorance.  A  third  very  important  reason 
is  the  frequent  catarrhs  caused  by  the  sudden  and  extra- 
ordinary changes  of  temperature  incident  to  our  climate.  Cer- 
tainly, even  an  Englishman  will  not  hold  us  responsible  for 
the  last.  As  a  retort  concerning  the  second  reason,  it  may  be 
said  that  the  average  European  has  no  cause  for  spitting  after 
partaking  of  his  scanty,  uninviting,  husky  repast  which  would 
be  scorned  by  the  laborer's  family  in  America. 

Every  few  minutes  the  Deacon  would  clear  his  throat  and 
discharge  a  little  spray  of  spittle  into  the  wood  box.  Alice 
detested  this  habit  even  beyond  the  feeling  of  the  majority  of 
women  on  the  subject.  But  Deacon  Brown  was  apparently 
so  utterly  unconscious  of  this  nuisance,  and  he  was,  moreover, 
such  a  "  light "  in  the  community  that  she  was  obliged  to  en- 
tertain her  guest  as  best  she  could,  and   conceal  her  feelings^ 


400  AN    IKON    CKOWN. 

Next  time  she  put  wood  in  the  stove,  however,  she  took  the 
sticks  up  with  an  old  pair  of  tongs,  and,  with  much  difficulty, 
got  them  into  the  stove. 

"  I  guess  3'ou  he  right  smart  of  a  cook,  Miss  Norwell," 
said  the  Deacon,  unconscious  of  the  hint  so  delicately  con- 
veyed by  the  tongs. 

"  Oh,  no,  Mr.  Brown,  I  think  I'm  a  very  indifferent 
one," 

"  Naow  don't  talk  so.  That's  the  way  with  all  these  wo- 
men folks.  My  wife  is  always  runnin'  daown  her  biscuits 
when  we  have  company,  an'  she  knows  all  the  time  she 
makes  the  best  biscuits  in  the  kyounty.  Of  course,  your 
mother  taught  you  all  sorts  o'  housework." 

"  No,  I  never  did  any  work  when  1  was  a  girl." 

"  Naow  that's  mighty  queer,  fur  most  of  the  Eastern 
women  know  all  about  housework.  They  did  in  Connecticut 
where  I  was  brought  up,  any  way,  but  then  I  guess  New 
York  City's  different,  come  to  think," 

At  length  Tom  and  Jim  Cain  returned.  Deacon  Brown 
was  invited  to  dinner,  and  accepted  the  invitation.  Then  he 
staid  nearly  all  the  afternoon,  as  the  rain  still  continued. 
After  awhile  Mr.  Bryce  dropped  in  to  have  a  friendly  chat. 
The  men  talked  about  the  crops  and  the  prospects  of  the 
farmers'  making  money  at  present  prices.  The  corn  crop  had 
been  excellent,  Norwell  estimated  that  he  would  have  about 
three  thousand  bushels  to  sell  and  about  one  thousand  bushels 
of  potatoes,  besides  oats  and  some  hay.  At  forty  cents  for 
corn,  the  price  it  was  then  bringing,  and  thirty  cents  for  pota- 
toes, he  figured  that  he  would  have  left  at  the  end  of  the  year 
some  six  hundred  dollars.  This  was  not  much  after  all  his 
expectations,  but  it  was  something  left  besides  having  a  living, 
and  further,  it  was  much  more  than  a  farmer  usually  makes 
with  the  same  outlay. 

But  Deacon  Brown,  who  had  acquired  a  competence  by  a 
long  life  of  careful  economy  and  judicious  management,  had 
some  statistics  that  played  havoc  with  Tom's  figures.  The 
Deacon  kept  posted  closely  on  the  markets,  and  on  freight 
rates.  Somehow,  he  alwaj's  managed  to  dispose  of  all  his 
surplus  at  the  right  time,  at  least,  everybody  said  so. 

"  Norwell,  you  can't  figure  on  the  Chicago  markets  for 
your  corn.  It  has  ruleii  there  at  forty  cents  all  fall.  Naow 
it  has  got  up  to  forty-five,  but  we  get  no  benefit  from  it." 

"Why  not?" 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  4OI 

"  Well,  the  railroad  company  advanced  freight  rates  on  the 
first.*     So  you  see  they  take  the  benefit  of  the  rise." 

"Just  as  they  have  done  many  times  before,"  said  Mr. 
Bryce.     "  You  see  w^e  have  no  competition  in  this  section." 

"Are  you  sure  of  that  rise  in  rates,  Deacon?" 

"I  be;  the  new  tariff  went  into  effect  last  Monday." 

"  How  about  potatoes  ?" 

"  They're  wuss  yet.  You  see,  because  we've  no  competi- 
tion here,  they  charge  jest  what  they  please.  Potatoes  ought 
by  all  kalkilation  to  be,  jest  what  you  figger,  thirty  cents. 
Under  the  new  tariff"  they  bring  twenty-five  cents  here,  and 
the  company  will  take  what's  left." 

"  And  that  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  this  county  voted  the 
railroad  company  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  bonds  to 
help  build  its  line,"  added  Mr.  Bryce.  Here  was  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  taken  from  one  crop  and  fifty  from 
another,  in  all  one-third  of  the  farmer's  gross  income.  Who 
was  the  better  for  it-f*  The  consumer  paid  as  much  as  ever 
for  everything  he  used.  The  railroad  company  pocketed  the 
difference  under  the  startling  new  principle  lately  laid  down  by 
certain  millionaire  thieves,  "  Charge  all  the  tariff"  will  bear." 

"  It  is  an  outrage,"  said  Norwell. 

"  So  it  is,"  replied  Mr.  Bryce.  '  "  But  what  are  you  going 
to  do  about  it?  We're  expecting  it  here  every  year,  and  are 
getting  used  to  it." 

"  I'll  not  stand  it.     I'll  quit  farming  first." 

"  But  they're  bound  to  catch  you  in  some  shape,  no  matter 
what  avocation  you  pursue.  Their  nefarious  transactions  are 
a  tax  on  the  whole  people.  Did  you  read  Congressman 
Wike's  great  speech  on  the  railroad  question?" 

"No." 

"  You  read  it.  Every  man  in  the  whole  country  ought  to 
read  that  speech.  He  says  there  are  four  railroad  men  in  this 
country  who  have  the  power,  whenever  they  choose,  to  take 
one  thousand  millions  of  dollars  out  of  the  pockets  of  the 
American  people  by  charging  excessive  rates  on  freight, f  And 
the  public  can't  help  itself.  You  see  these  big  corporations 
have  no  soul,  but  plenty  of  brains.  They  defy  the  law  and 
ignore  public  opinion." 

"  Some  day  there  will  be  a  terrible  reckoning  for  all  this." 

♦Note  10. — Arbitrary  changes  of  rates. 

tXote  II. — Arbitrary  powers  exercised  by  great  corporations. 

26 


402  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  And  it  will  be  no  tea  party  either,  I  guess,"  added  the 
Deacon. 

*'  It  will  not  be  soon,  gentlemen,  not  very  soon,"  rejoined 
Mr.  Bryce. 

"  The  American  people  grin  an'  bear  a  thing  till  they 
can't  stand  it  any  longer  before  they  do  anything.  They're 
fast  enough  generally,"  reflected  the  Deacon,  "  but  powerful 
slow  on  some  things.  When  they  do  git  started  tliey  hold  a 
few  meetin's,  appint  some  committees,  and  sit  down  to  see 
what'll  happen.  Then  the  law-breakers,  ballot-box  stuffers 
and  big  monopolists  laugh  in  their  sleeves  at  the  fun." 

"You  do  not  think,  Mr.  Bryce,  that  all  railroad  men  are 
dishonest,  do  you?"  asked  Alice,  who  was  now  interested  in 
the  conversation. 

"  I  don't  mean  the  real  railroadmen  at  all.  The  engineers 
and  brakemen,  and  all  the  men  who  work,  earn  every  cent 
they  get.  Nor  do  I  mean  honest  stockholders.  I  mean  the 
rascals  who  have  made  millions  by  swindling  both  the  public 
and  the  company  whose  officers  they  are,  and  whose  interests 
they  aie  in  duty  bound  to  protect." 

"  The  men,"  said  Tom,  "  who  buy  votes  to  control  legis- 
latures in  their  favor,  who  wreck  railroads  b}'  crooked  work  in 
the  management,  and  then  buy  the  property  up  for  a  song." 

"  But,"  continued  Alice,  who  looked  only  at  the  exterior 
of  this  great  question,  having  given  it  no  thought,  "  railroads 
are  a  necessity.  I  am  sure  they  must  do  more  good  than 
harm." 

"  They  be  a  necessity,  of  course  they  be.  Nobody  wants 
to  do  without  'em,"  replied  the  Deacon,  "  though  I'd  never 
vote  'em  any  more  bonds  if  I  lived  a  thousand  years." 

"  But  the  fact  that  they  are  a  necessity,"  said  Tom,  "doesn't 
justify  the  arrogant,  systematic  extortion  and  disregard  of  right 
practiced  of  late  years  by  a  few  great  railway  kings  whom 
the  people  have  made." 

*'  To  be  sure  it  doesn't,"  continued  Mr.  Bryce. 

Nearly  every  great  evil  in  this  world  masks  itself  behind 
some  good;  because  a  thing  is  good  we  should  not  be  obliged 
to  take  with  it  a  notorious  wrong  that  has  slily  masked  itself  be- 
hind the  good.  Rather  than  let  such  men  corrupt  the  politics 
of  this  country,  and  control  its  polic}',  as  thev  now  rule  with 
an  iron  hand  many  of  its  great  industries;  it  were  better  if 
every  mile  of  railroad  in  this  country  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific,  from  the  Gulf  to  the  Lakes,  were  destroyed  for- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  ^03 

ever.  Stage  coaches  and  tallow  candles,  with  political  purity 
and  right  triumphant,  are  preferable  to  the  merciless  rule  of 
uncrowned  money  kings,  after  they  have  once  closed  every  ave- 
nue by  which  their  victims  niiiy  escape.  We  feel  these  things 
comparatively  little  yet,  except  in  certain  sections,  because  we 
have  a  vast  domain  of  free  land,  and  the  people  are  not  cramjDcd. 
Food  is  cheap  and  labor  plenty.  But  some  day,  not  far  dis- 
tant, we  shall,  if  these  centralizing  influences  of  money  re- 
main uncontrolled,  feel  the  weight  of  an  Iron  Crown  of  steel 
rails  bound  by  stringing  wires  as  grievous  as  any  ever  borne 
by  any  people  in  the  Middle  Ages.  It  is  coming,  and  we  may 
as  well  face  the  music. 

At  this  point  the  discussion  was  interrupted  by  the  an- 
nouncement that  supper  was  ready. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

IN  WHICH  TOM  NORWELL  CONCLUDES  THAT  FARMING  IS 
NOT  HIGHLY  REMUNERATIVE;  AND  MESSRS.  LEMMING 
&  MIRIAM  CONCOCT  THEIR  GREATEST  MONEY-MAKING 
SCHEME. 

Things  turned  out  precisely  as  Deacon  Brown  had  figured 
it.  When  Norwell  finished  hauling  his  crops  to  town,  after 
paying  one-thii"d  farm  rent,  and  Jim's  salary  of  eighteen  dol- 
lars per  month,  he  found,  that  instead  of  one  thousand  dollars 
or  even  the  six  hundred  he  last  figured  on,  he  had  just  three 
hundred  dollars  left.  Jim  thought  this  a  big  pile  of  inoney, 
and  some  of  the  neighbors,  who,  one  year  with  another,  per- 
haps did  not  save  over  one  hundred  dollars  per  year,  congratu- 
lated Norwell  on  what  a  pile  of  money  he  must  have  made. 
The  three  hundred  dollars  would  not  more  than  pay  for  the 
team  he  had  bought,  and  the  farm  implements,  to  say  nothing 
of  paying  any  hire  for  an  extra  team  he  had  of  Mr.  Bryce 
during  a  large  part  of  the  summer. 

Norwell  was  thoroughly  disheartened  and  disgusted  with 
farming.  He  could  have  saved  as  much  on  his  salary  with  no 
risk  whatever,  while  Alice  would  have  been  much  better  off 
teaching  without  having  to  undergo  all  this  drudgery.  He 
consulted  with  her  and  they  decided  it  best  to  quit,  as  he  could 


404  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

have  Ins  old  place  in  Chicago  again,  if  he  chose,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year.  Alice  had  no  advice  to  offer  concerning  the 
future.  She  felt  herself  largely  responsible  for  their  coming 
to  the  country.  The  results  had  not  been  what  they  hoped. 
Now  she  was  willing  to  acquiesce  in  her  brother's  wishes. 
She  dreaded  the  influences  of  the  grain  business  in  Chicago, 
but  there  was  ifothing  else  to  do  apparently,  and  it  was  useless 
to  make  any  further  struggle  against  adverse  fortune.  So  it 
was  all  settled  that  they  should  give  up  the  farm. 

That  evening  Tom  and  Alice  went  over  to  Bryces  to  see 
what  arrangements  it  would  be  best  to  make  about  selling  the 
team.  Jacob  Bryce  was  a  man  known  to  everybody  for  ten 
miles  around.  Pie  owned  a  thousand  acres  of  land  well  im- 
proved and  stocked.  This  was  all  the  result  of  his  own  in- 
dustry and  good  management,  aided  by  an  unusually  intelli- 
gent, faithful  wife.  Together  they  had  come  to  this  new 
country  from  New  England,  with  only  one  hundred  dollars 
all  told,  thirty  years  before.  Their  thrifty  habits  had  not, 
however,  made  the  Bryces  grasping  or  stingy.  On  the  con- 
trary, they  were  known  as  the  most  generous  people  in  the 
country.  The}'  had  only  one  child  to  inherit  their  j^roperty. 
Their  other,  a  son,  had  shoulderetl  his  musket  during  tlie  dark 
days  of  the  war,  and  bidding  his  father,  mother,  and  little, 
flaxen-haired  sister  adieu,  had  gone  to  the  front,  like  thousands 
of  others,  never  to  return.  There  was  now  no  need  to  pile 
up  more  wealth ;  there  was  ample  for  one.  Many  a  poor 
man  had  been  helped  out  of  his  difiiculties  and  put  on  his  legs 
by  Mr.  Bryce's  timely  assistance.  Many  a  needy  family  in 
the  dead  of  winter  received  from  the  Bryces  a  sack  of  flour, 
a  bushel  of  potatoes,  or  a  "  flitch"  of  pork.  Occasionally  Mr. 
Bryce  was  deceived  in  those  whom  he  trusted.  This  was 
only  natural,  while  human  nature  remains  as  it  is.  But  he  al- 
ways consoled  himself  with  the  reflection,  that  it  is  better  to 
make  a  mistake  in  favor  of  humanity  than  on  the  other  side. 
Mr.  Bryce  was  at  Prairie  (jrande  that  evening,  and  was  un- 
usually late  gcjtting  home,  as  the  roads  were  almost  bottomless 
now  in  the  latter  part  of  November.  Alice  went  to  the 
kitchen,  where  Mrs.  Bryce  was  at  work  while  waiting  supper 
for  her  husband.  Tom  and  May  had  the  sitting  room  to 
themselves.  May  was  always  delighted  when  Tom  was  near, 
as  became  a  woman  whose  whole  soul  was  possessed  by  a 
deep,  unchanging  love  that  amounted  to  devotion. 

"  I  looked  for  you  last  night,  Tom,"  she  said,  almost  re- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  405 

proachfully.  "Just  think!  It's  a  whole  week  since  you  have 
been  here." 

"I  couldn't  get  away,  little  girl;  I  expected  to,  but  the 
Smiths  came  over  to  stay  till  bedtime." 

"  I'll  forgive  you  this  time,  you  naughty  boy,  if  you 
promise  never  to  do  so  again." 

"  Come,  Prairie  Blossom,  don't  be  too  hard  on  a  fellow. 
I  couldn't  regulate  the  movements  of  the  Smith  family.  But 
it  could  not  matter  a  great  deal  whether  I  came  last  night  or 
to-niglit.  And  then  girls  act  as  if  they  thought  so  much  of 
their  beaux,  just  as  if  they  were  dying  for  them.  Don't  you 
think  they  play  off  a  little  sometimes?"  May  sat  a  moment 
in  silence,  then  she  answered: 

"  Tom,  do  you  love  me?  " 

"  What  a  question.  May!  Haven't  I  told  you  so  a  hun- 
dred times?"  But  he  was  a  little  uneasy.  Instantly  he 
thought  of  Chetta  Ingledee,  and  that  he  was  guilty  of  decep- 
tion. Little  by  little,  step  by  step,  before  he  realized  his 
course,  he  had  been  drawn  into  a  position  which  was  a  dis- 
credit to  an  honorable  gentleman.  He  knew  that  this  girl, 
who  was  ignorant  of  the  deceptions  of  the  great  world,  had 
given  him  her  whole  heart,  and  since  he  had  come  here  to 
her  home,  her  whole  trust.  It  would  be  a  most  cruel  act  to 
deceive  her.  He  was  about  on  the  point  of  making  the  only 
noble  resolution  possible  under  the  circumstances,  namely,  to 
write  to  Chetta  saying  that  they  could  only  be  strangers 
henceforth,  and  return  all  her  letters.  Though  he  felt  that 
this  girl  was  not  the  helpmeet  for  him  which  he  had  hoped, 
he  was  in  honor  bound  to  marry  her,  and  justify  her  deep 
affection  and  boundless  trust.  His  word,  which  is  a  gentle- 
man's honor,  was  pledged. 

"  I  know  you  have  told  me  so.  I  ought  not  to  have  asked 
perhaps.  Please  forgive  me.  But  I  was  thinking,  Tom,  that 
love  is  something  sacred.  As  there  is  only  one  true  God,  so 
true  love  can  have  only  one  object."  She  seemed  to  have 
read  his  thoughts,  and  he  was  startled.     He  could  only  reply: 

"  Yes,  doubtless  you  are  right,  May." 

"Tom,"  she  continued  very  earnestly,  "do  you  know, 
sometimes  I  think  I  could  not  live  without  you?" 

This  remark  scarcely  pleased  him.  He  could  not  look  at 
love  in  any  such  light.  It  was  far  beyond  anything  he  had 
ever  felt,  beyond  his  capacity  for  feeling.  He  did  not  believe 
in  love  that  could  not  survive  the  deprivation  of  its  object. 


4o6  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  May,"  he  replied  in  a  rather  argumentative  tone,  "don't 
you  think  you  are  growing  a  trifle  sentimental?  " 

"  No  Tom,  I  mean  it.     I  could  not  live  without  you." 

"  Pshaw!  That  is  little  short  of  romantic  nonsense,  if  you 
will  excuse  me  for  speaking  so  plainly.  We  must  look  at 
things  in  a  more  practical  light.  It  is  not  an  agreeable  idea, 
but  then  death,  for  example,  might  separate  us  at  any  time. 
Then,  however  hard  it  might  be  at  first,  the  survivor,  after  a 
time,  would  find  life  endurable,  and  eventually,  enjoyable.  It 
might  be  a  duty  to  live  regardless  of  our  own  wishes." 

But  notwithstanding  his  own  logic,  Norwell  felt  imcom- 
fortablc  and  tried  to  change  the  subject.  In  the  first  place, 
this  declaration  of  such  absorbing  love  reflected  indirectly  on 
his  own  feelings,  which  were  as  the  shallow  banks  of  New- 
foundland to  the  deep  soundings  of  the  Atlantic,  compared 
with  hers.  He  did  not  believe  in  this  supernal  love  that  is 
unable  to  live  unless  constantly  feeding  on  itself.  He  thought 
it  was  a  sickly  sentiment,  instead  of  a  deep  emotion,  and  while 
he  never  for  an  instant  thought  his  betrothed  guilty  of  deceit, 
he  thought  she  scarcely  realized  the  extent  of  the  hyperbole 
in  which  she  was  indulging. 

But  May  was  not  mistaken.  This  romantic  country  girl 
had  an  intellect  as  vigorous  as  his  own,  and  of  a  far  more 
delicate  comprehension  on  such  subjects.  There  was  a  deep 
and  dreadful  significance  in  her  words,  which  she  fully  under- 
stood but  could  never  explain  to  him,  nor  even  to  her  own 
mother.  For  a  long  time,  even  before  her  first  visit  to  New 
York,  May  Bryce  had  been  at  times  shadowed  by  a  flitting 
dread  that  her  life  would  be  a  short  one.  Her  mother's 
mother  had  been  a  victim  of  that  king  of  terrors,  consump- 
tion. A  maternal  uncle  had  died  of  the  same  disease,  and 
her  parents  had  always  spoken  of  it  as  a  malady  which  left 
its  victim  no  hope.  As  a  girl.  May  had,  at  times,  thought  of 
the  awful  situation  of  a  person  doometl  to  this  loathsome,  liv- 
ing decay.  Her  vivid  imagination  had  heightened  the  horrors 
of  such  a  situation,  if  that  were  possible.  Such  a  death,  though 
painless,  is  truly  dreadful.  Compared  with  it  the  fate  of 
Prometheus  chained  to  the  cold  rocks  and  torn  by  ravenous 
birds,  was  almost  to  be  envied,  for  his  vital  powers  were  con- 
stantly renewed  by  an  active,  life-giving  principle.  The 
loathsomeness  of  decay  was  spared  him.  Consumption  and 
leprosy  are  twin  horrors.  May  had  carefully  read  excellent 
medical  authorities  on  the  subject.     Her  father  bought  such 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  407 

books  because  he  thouglit  it  better  to  read  them  and  learn 
something  about  taking  care  of  the  body  in  trifling  disorders, 
tlian  to  run  for  the  doctor  to  treat  every  petty  aihnent. 

May  would  not  cause  her  parents  anxiety  by  disclosing 
fears  which  might  be  utterly  groundless.  Sometimes  she 
laughed  at  tliose  fears  and  thought  nothing  of  them  for 
months.  But  they  always  returned.  Then  she  consulted  the 
family  ph3'sician,  enjoining  strict  secrecy.  He  quieted  her 
fears,  but  with  the  usual  sphinx-like  demeanor  of  the  pro- 
fession, cautioned  her  to  be  careful  of  her  health.  The  doc- 
tor's opinion  somewhat  reassured  her.  She  derived  no  con- 
solation from  the  commonly  accepted  belief  that  consumptive 
patients  are  always  hopeful.  It  was  apparently  opposed  to 
common  sense.  She  saw  no  reason  why  the  consumptive 
doomed  to  a  sure  death  should  be  hopeful  any  more  than  the 
man  who  is  bitten  by  a  cobra,  could  sit  and  calmly  watch  the 
deadly  poison  slowly  creeping  toward  his  heart  beneath  the 
skin.  If  this  is  the  fault  of  doctors  who  lack  the  moral  cour- 
rage  to  be  candid,  it  is  a  cruel  and  unprofitable  deception. 
May  Bryce  reasoned  beyond  this  popular  hallucination  and 
argued  that  she  would  listen  to  reason  rather  than  hope. 

But  she  divulged  none  of  these  thoughts  to  her  lover.  It 
was  iniwise  to  alarm  him  unne'cessarily.  The  excitement  of 
her  visit  to  New  York  and  the  want  of  her  usual,  abundant 
open-air  exercise  had  told  on  her  health,  though  she  was 
scarcely  aware  of  it  till  it  was  all  over,  and  the  reaction  came 
in  her  country  home.  Then  Tom's  coming  brought  with  it 
a  reassurance  of  his  continued  love,  and  the  fact  that  she  now 
had  him  all  to  herself,  free  from  the  anxieties  of  any  rivalry, 
made  that  summer  one  of  supreme  happiness  to  her.  The 
flush  of  health  returned  to  her  cheeks  and  her  morbid  fears 
gradually  slumbered.  Thus,  it  was  no  sickly  sentiment  in 
May  Bryce  to  tell  her  lover  that  he  was  life  to  her.  Happi- 
ness is  the  mainstay  of  health. 

Norwell  now  informed  May  of  his  intention  to  return  to 
Chicago.  As  Alice  had  already  told  her  that  their  moving 
was  probable.  May  was  not  surprised.  She  was  sorry  to  have 
them  go,  but  did  not  doubt  that  it  was  for  the  best.  Then  as 
Tom  promised  her  that  he  would  run  out  on  a  visit  frequently 
she  was  satisfied  with  the  change.  She  had  a  slight  hope 
that  he  might  ask  her  to  name  the  day,  but  he  was  silent  on 
that  subject. 

Mr.  Br3xe  came   home   finally,  and  the  men  had  a  long 


4oS  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

talk.  Bryce  kindly  agreed  to  take  Norwcll's  team  and  im- 
plements and  assume  payment  for  them.  To  Norwell's  in- 
quiry as  to  whether  he  was  not  permitting  too  much  in  his 
friend  who  offered  to  do  this,  Mr.  Br3ce  had  answered: 

"  Norwell,  I  can  turn  them  into  money  eventually  much 
better  than  you  can.  The  horses  will  bring  a  good  price  in 
the  spring." 

«  Mr.  Bryce,  I  don't  want  you  to  lose  on  them." 

"  You  certainly  would  lose  by  putting  them  on  the  market, 
now,  Mr.  Norwell.     We  will  consider  that  all  settled." 

So  everything  was  arranged.  The  Norwells  made  a  sale 
and  disposed  of  their  cows,  the  hay  and  grain,  and  the  house- 
hold goods.  The  poultry  was  sold  at  town  and  with  it  ended 
Alice's  great  expectations  in  that  line.  Only  the  statesman 
was  reserved.  He  had  grown  into  a  huge  plump  bird  and 
had  lost  none  of  the  awkwardness  and  naive  impudence 
which  first  suggested  his  name,  which  from  motives  of  deli- 
cacy has  been  omitted  in  this  history.  The  family  affection 
for  him  in  spite  of  his  Guilts,  was  such  that  it  was  decided  not 
to  expose  him  to  the  scrutiny  of  an  unsympathizing  public  in 
a  market  2Dlace.  He  was  slaughtered  at  home  and  fcwmed  the 
basis  of  a  toothsome  pot-pie. 

One  evening  near  holidays  Jim  Cain,  who  no  longer  lived 
with  the  Norwells,  came  to  spend  the  evening  with  them.  A 
pleasant  time  was  had  over  cider  and  apples.  Jim  had  been 
a  faithful  hand  and  especially  willing  to  help  Alice  at  churn- 
ing, and  other  work  wdien  he  had  any  spare  time.  Though 
he  did  justice  to  the  cider  and  apjoles,  Jim  scarcely  appeared 
to  have  his  usual  flow  of  good  spirits.  As  the  time  ap- 
proached for  him  to  go  he  seemed  nervous  and  fidgety,  a 
condition  in  which  he  had  never  been  seen  by  them  before. 
Norwell  accompanied  him  to  the  gate  as  he  started  for  home, 
and  when  the  two  were  alone  together  the  cause  of  the  man's 
uneasiness  was  soon  made  apparent. 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  I  hate  to  ask  you,  I'd  a  heap  ruthcr  take  a 
kickin'  than  ask  you,  but  could  you  loan  me  twenty-five 
dollars  for  awhile?" 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter,  Jim?"  exclaimed  Norwell  in 
surprise.     "  Where  are  your  wages?  " 

"  I've  been  a  danged  fool.  That's  what's  the  matter.  I've 
lost  a  thunderin'  pile  of  money." 

"Lost  it!     How  much?  " 

"  Fift}'  dollars  clean  cash,  all  gone.     Now  I  am  strapped 


AN    lUOX    CROWN.  409 

and  I  owe  my  sister  who  lives  in  town,  twenty-five  dollars. 
They  have  had  hard  luck,  and  her  man  has  been  sick  nearly 
all  summer,  and  I've  got  to  pay  it." 

"  But  where  is  your  money?     How  did  you  lose  it?  " 

"  You  remember  that  firm  in  Chicago,  Lemming  & 
Miriam,  who  advertised  to  invest  money  where  it  would  joay 
such  big  returns?  " 

«  Yes." 

«  Well,  I  dropped  it  there." 

"  That  was  such  a  bare-faced  swindle  you  ought  to  have 
known  better,  Jim." 

"  Mebbe  I  ought,  but,  Mr.  Norwell,  country  people  don't 
know  as  well  about  these  swindles  as  you  town  people.  Jack 
Bundy  down  to  Prairie  Grande,  had  one  hundred  dollars  in 
and  it  doubled  itself  in  a  month.  Then  he  drawed  out.  But 
when  that  word  got  out  a  lot  more  fellers  went  in.  I  never 
got  a  red  cent  and  never  will  now;  the  whole  darn  thing  has 
gone  up  an'  there's  the  maddest  set  o'  boys  in  town  that  you 
ever  saw." 

"I  am  very  sorry, Jim;  you  worked  too  hard  for  your 
money  to  lose  it  that  way." 

"  So  I  did,"  replied  Jim.  » I  thought  I'd  get  ahead  a  little 
this  year,  but  everything  goes  agin  me!  But  I  must  have 
the  money  if  I  can  get  it.  I  borrowed  It  to  get  clothes  with 
and  now  I  can't  see  my  sister's  children  going  without 
clothes." 

"  All  right,  Jim,  say  no  more.  You  shall  have  it."  Nor- 
well as  he  said  this  thought  how  little  would  be  left  by  the 
time  he  and  Alice  had  got  finally  settled  in  Chicago. 

"  Norwell,  before  you  give  it  I  want  to  tell  you  I  can't 
pay  you  soon.  I  get  only  ten  dollars  per  month  and  board, 
where  I  am  for  the  winter  months.  I  can't  pay  you  before 
three  months." 

"Jim,  you  shall  have  it  on  those  terms.  I  shall  need  it 
myself  then.  Be  careful  in  the  future  where  you  put  your 
money.     Take  no  chances  with  such  men." 

Tlie  advertisement  which  had  caused  all  this  trouble,  not 
only  to  Jim  Cain,  but  to  thousands  of  others,  all  over  the 
United  States,  had  appeared  regularly  in  hundreds  of  news- 
papers, for  months.  It  illusti"ates  a  system  of  financiering 
which  has  been  tried  many  times  heretofore  under  various 
guises,  and  doubtless  will  be  tried  many  times  more.  Here  it 
is.     A  perusal  may  repay  the  reader.     Look  out  for  any  man 


4IO  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

who  offers  one  dollar's  worth  for  fifty  cents.     He  is  a  liar, 
and  will  prove  a  thief  if  you  give  him  a  chance. 

INVESTMENTS. 


LEMMING  &  MIRIAM.— Dealers  in  stocks, 
bonds,  and  all  kinds  of  securities.  Members  of 
the  Chicago  Grain  Exchange.  Money  placed  for  in- 
vestment in  our  FUND  W  makes  sometimes  as  high 
as  500  per  cent,  a  month.  We  guarantee  fiftv  per 
cent,  per  month.  Returns  made  monthly  in  cash,  or 
profits  reinvested  on  tiie  same  plan  at  investor's  op- 
tion. We  have  perfected  a  systcin  of  operating 
whereby  all  moneys  are  being  turned  over  daily,  thus 
securing  enormous  profits  in  consequence  of  our 
superior  facilities  for  taking  advantage  of  the  fluctu- 
ations of  the  market.  Thousands  are  now  investing 
in  FUND  W,  which  promises  to  be  one  of  the  most 
successful  methods , of  money-making  that  we  have 
ever  tried.  Any  sum  fi^om  five  dollars  upward,  may 
be  placed  in  FUND  W  for  investment,  thus  giving 
the  poor  a  chance  to  reap  golden  returns  along  with 
the  rich.  Address,  Lemming  6c  Miriam,  10  Corn 
Exchange  Place,  Chicago,  111. 

It  would  seem  at  first  sight  that  no  person  with  a  modicum 
of  common  sense  could  be  entrapped  by  so  bare-faced  a  swin- 
dle, however  cunningly  it  may  have  been  worded.  But 
human  credulity  is  as  boundless  as  the  ocean.  When  coupled 
with  avarice,  which  is  still  more  universal  and  powerful,  the 
two  combined  produce  a  degree  of  gullibility  almost  beyond 
belief.  Lemming  &  Miriam  did  not  lie  when  they  said  thou- 
sands were  investing  in  FUND  W.  And  when  they  added 
with  a  delightful  naivete  that  no  such  method  of  money- 
making  had  yet  been  tried  by  thein,  they  told  a  striking  truth 
if  tlie  statement  was  properly  interpreted.  It  was  the  best 
scheme  for  them  that  they  had  ever  tried. 

It  was  estimated  that  the  receipts  from  the  FUND  W. 
swindle  for  a  few  months  were  at  least  three-quarters  of  a 
million  dollars,  possibly  a  million.  This  enterprising  firm 
also  told  the  truth  when  they  stated  that  it  gave  the  poor 
man  a  chance  with  the  rich.  The  legal  proceedings  during 
the  trial  of  Lemming  &  Miriam  on  the  charge  of  employ- 
ing the  United  States  mails  for  fraudulent  purposes,  devel- 
oped the  fact  tliat  investments  ranged  from  the  smallest  sum 
receivable  up  to  forty  thousand  dollars  in  the  case  of  one 
victim.     The  first  investor  in  a  town  usually  received  a  hand- 


AN    IRON   CROWN.  41I 

some  cash  dividend,  which  was  paid  out  of  the  daily  receipts 
from  investors.  No  pretense  was  made  of  investing  the 
money  in  any  way.  Such  was  the  infatuation  of  the  public 
that,  incredible  as  it  may  appear,  letters  stamped  "  fraudu- 
lent" by  the  postoffice  of  Chicago  and  returned  to  the 
writers,  were  at  once  remailed  to  Lemming  &  Miriam.  Some 
of  their  dupes  even  promised  to  back  the  swindlers  in  their 
contest  with  the  government.  When  an  enormous  sum  of 
money  had  accumulated  and  it  was  evident  that  the  scheme 
would  not  work  much  longer,  owing  to  frequent  complaints 
received  by  the  police  authorities  and  daily  papers.  Lemming 
&  Aliriam  sent  out  circulars  to  all  their  customers  saying  that 
they  had  made  heavy  investments  which  unfortunately  had 
turned  out  badly  and  that  the  money  in  consequence  was 
all  lost. 

For  this  scoundrelly  and  unparalleled  swindle  Lemming 
&  Miriam  were  sentenced  to  pay  a  nominal  fine  and  to  one 
year's  imprisonment  in  the  county  jail.  After  a  few  months' 
confinement,  during  which  their  friends  were  allowed  to 
furnish  them  every  luxury  that  money  would  procure,  these 
two  scoundrels  were  pardoned  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  who  doubtless  was  ignorant  of  the  main  facts.  He  could 
only  judge  from  the  representations  of  friends  of  the  prisoners, 
and  from  the  recommendation  of  the  United  States  district 
judge  of  the  district  in  which  the  trial  occurred.  This 
Judge's  recommendation  was,  according  to  the  statements  of 
the  press,  informal,  not  being  indorsed  by  the  United  States 
Attorney  who  prosecuted  the  case,  as  was  customar}-.  It 
was  based,  we  will  charitably  suppose,  on  a  mistaken  notion 
of  clemency  on  the  part  of  the  judge.  Great  was  the  indig- 
nation of  the  respectable  people  of  Chicago  and  the  country 
at  large.  There  was  good  reason  for  believing  that  a  ring 
of  disreputable  politicians  managed  the  whole  business  of 
procuring  the  pardon  for  political  purposes,  and  that  citizens 
of  Chicago  of  wealth  and  apparent  respectabilitv  worked 
actively  for  Lemming  &  Miriam,  because  the}'  hail  been  or 
were  at  that  time  engaged  in  similar  disreputable  schemes. 

Have  not  Americans  cause  to  blush  for  all  this?  When 
judges  and  the  highest  officials  of  the  land  are  so  indifferent 
to  the  public  welfare  as  to  turn  such  dangerous  criminals  free 
upon  an  unprotected  community,  is  it  not  time  to  inquire 
whether  there  is  not  something  very  rotten  in  the  machinery 
of  State?    Judges  should  remember  that  they  are  not  elected 


412  AX   IROX   cnowN. 

to  hear  lawyers  wrangle  for  weeks  over  hair-splitting  legal 
quibbles;  nor  are  they  placed  on  the  bench  to  seek  diligently 
for  knot  holes  through  which  criminals  may  escape  justice. 
The  bench  should  not  forget  that  the  community  may  need 
protection  just  as  urgently  as  the  prisoner.  It  is  a  safe  prin- 
ciple of  law  that  where  any  doubt  exists  as  to  the  guilt  of  a 
prisoner,  the  accused  shall  have  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 
When  only  a  legal  technicality  is  at  issue  and  the  guilt  of  the 
prisoner  is  notorious  and  beyond  question,  why  not  let  the 
community  have  the  benefit  of  the  doubt? 

To  the  foreigner,  if  perchance  any  such  may  peruse  these 
pages,  it  may  seem  as  if  a  large  majority  of  the  American 
people  were  fools,  and  the  remainder  knaves.  Let  him  not 
be  too  hasty  in  his  judgment.  America  is  a  land  of  oppor- 
tunities. In  Europe  the  poor  expect  to  remain  poor.  It  is 
their  hard  lot  from  which  there  is  no  escape.  In  America, 
scarcely  any  man  may  be  found  who  does  not  hope  to  better 
his  condition.  This  restless  activity  and  universal  opportunity 
must  in  the  very  nature  of  things  be  taken  advantage  of  by 
the  dishonest  to  ply  their  swindling  schemes.  While  specu- 
lative gambling  is  only  too  common  it  is  not  yet  a  national 
vice.  Swindles  abound  while  the  American  people  remain 
honest  but  supine. 

But  can  we  long  remain  honest  and  by  our  silence  virtu- 
ally sanction  dishonesty?  "Evil  communications  corrupt 
good  manners,"  Has  American  honor  sunk  so  low  that  it 
is  satisfied  to  consort  with  roguery,  peculation  and  down- 
right robbery?  National  honor  is  national  life,  and  the  people 
who  are  willing  to  give  up  their  good  name  are  on  the  high 
road  to  national  extinction.  Shall  the  examples  of  Persia, 
Greece,  Rome,  Carthage  and  the  Saracenic  Empire  be  lost  in 
the  light  of  the  nineteenth  century? 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

WHICH  CONTAINS  ROTH  GOOD  AND  RAD  REPORT  OF  FA- 
MILIAR FRIENDS. LUCK  VS.  LOVE. THERE  IS  NOTH- 
ING   NEW    IN    LUCK,    NOTHING    NEW    IN    LOVE. 

The  Norwells  returned  to  Chicago.  AHce  took  her  old 
place  in  the  Young  Ladies'  school,  and  Tom  resumed  his 
clerkship  with  the  grain  commission  firm.  They  both  soon 
settled  down  into  their  accustomed  daily  routine  and  all  went 
well.  They  attended  regularly  a  prominent  church  on  the 
West  Side,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  forming  numerous  pleas- 
ant acquaintances.  In  this  respect  Chicago  is  perhaps  more 
distinctively  democratic  than  any  other  metropolis  in  the 
world.  She  has  as  yet  no  aristocracy  of  wealth  or  tradition. 
Doubtless  in  time  she  will  have  both,  especially  the  former, 
which  is  already  rapidly  building  a  social  rampart  of  money 
bags.  At  present  respectability  is  the  only  password  re- 
quired to  admit  strangers  into  the  homes  of  a  majority  of 
the  best  people.  May  it  ever  remain  so,  for  the  two  most 
universal  lines  of  caste  distinction,  blood  and  money,  are  both 
based  on  absurdly  false  principles.  Any  rusty  old  vessel  will 
hold  blue  blood,  and  any  fool  can  jingle  the  eagles  that  have 
been  placed  in  his  pockets. 

The  Norwells  made  many  good  friends  of  the  quieter 
sort,  and  the  winter  passed  very  pleasantly.  Both  brother 
and  sister  felt  more  than  they  showed,  the  difficulty  experi- 
enced by  those  who  have  been  rich,  in  adjusting  their  expend- 
itures to  a  small  income.  A  great  city  affords  many  op- 
portunities for  making  money  to  those  who  know  how,  but 
for  each  way  of  acquiring  there  are  ten  ways  of  spending. 
Both  firmly  resolved  to  save  something,  but  they  no  longer 
saved  in  common.  In  fact,  there  were  now  few  confidences 
between  them.  Both  felt  that  on  certain  points  they  could 
never  agree.  Alice  could  not  coincide  in  her  brother's  false 
views  concerning  the  acquisition  of  wealth.  Far  better  hon- 
est poverty  than  dishonest  wealth,  she  told  him.  She  disap- 
proved of  his  reckless  speculative  mania   and  of  his  manage- 

(413) 


414  -^N    IRON    CROWN. 

merit  of  his  love  affairs.  But  she  sensibly  realized  the  use- 
lessness  of  continuing  a  losing  struggle  with  him,  which 
could  result  only  in  complete  alienation. 

It  was  not  strange  that  this  brother  and  sister  disagreed. 
Although  the  ties  of  relationship  were  so  close,  two  persons 
could  scarcely  have  been  more  different  in  character.  The 
brother  was  franii,  generous  and  good-natured  as  a  rule,  but 
inclined  to  be  stubborn,  where  he  fancied  his  own  peculiar 
rights  were  invaded,  as  easy-going  people  often  are.  The 
sister  was  more  reserved  with  the  mass  of  her  acquaintance. 
She  made  friends  more  reluctantly,  but  made  them  to  keep. 
She  was  kind-hearted  but  of  quicker  temper,  and  was  ready 
to  yield  a  point  instantly  when  she  saw  she  was  wrong.  Her 
delicate  perceptions  of  right  and  wrong  were  much  finer  than 
his.  She  weighed  carefully  her  thoughts  and  actions  and 
instantly  retraced  a  course  as  soon  as  she  saw  it  might  pos- 
sibly lead  in  the  wrong  direction.  He,  on  the  contrary,  tem- 
porized when  he  should  have  taken  a  decided  stand.  He  did 
this  partly  because  he  lacked  the  moral  courage  to  fiice  con- 
sequences, and  partly  because  his  less  acute  perceptions  of 
right  and  wrong  often  failed  to  place  things  in  their  proper 
light  with  relation  to  duty.  Notably  this  was  true  of  his 
correspondence  with  Chetta  Ingledee  while  engagctl  to  May 
Bryce.  Nothing  was  further  from  his  purposes  than  to  de- 
ceive either  of  these  women,  and  yet  his  careless  good  nature 
had  allowed  him  to  drift  into  a  false  position  which  threatened 
the  most  serious  consequences  to  all  concerned.  Alice  clearly 
saw  this  with  a  dread  that  amounted  almost  to  horror.  He 
failed  to  realize  it  fully  because  he  allowed  his  mind  to  drift 
away  from  consequences,  trusting  that  somehow  all  would  be 
well  in  the  end. 

The  long,  severe  winter  passed  into  the  usual  chilling 
spring  weather  when  the  great  refrigerator.  Lake  Michigan, 
for  days  and  weeks  steadily  pours  a  current  of  cold  air  over 
the  city,  with  brief  interruptions  of  warm  winds  from  the 
south,  that  only  makes  the  succeeding  cold  more  disagreeable. 
Norwell,  by  careful  economy  and  by  collecting  a  few  little 
odd  sums  still  due  him  in  New  York  and  at  Prairie  Grande, 
had  got  together  five  hundred  dollars  in  clean  cash.  He  had 
not  told  Alice  about  this  money  nor  did  he  reveal  his  plans, 
for  he  knew  that  she  would  oppose  them.  A  business  de- 
pression which  had  lasted  for  some  time  was  thought  to  be 
at  an  end.     A  general  activity  began  to  prevail  in  all  depart- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  415 

ments  of  commerce  and  manufacturing.  Norwell  thought 
this  was  his  long  hoped  for  opportunity  to  make  money. 
Wheat  had  for  months  been  fluctuating  in  the  neighborhood 
of  eighty  cents  per  bushel.  One  morning,  as  Norwell  and 
Wylie  were  going  down  town  on  a  Madison  street  car,  the 
former  broached  the  subject  uppermost  in  his  mind. 

"  Wylie,  what  do  you  think  of  wheat?" 

"  I  think  it  offers  a  first-rate  chance  for  investment,  but  I 
never  take  any  of  these  chances.  When  I  entered  the  ofiice 
I  made  a  solemn  resolution  never  to  speculate  under  any 
circumstances.  I  have  kept  my  word.  I  have  seen  hundreds 
of  men  go  in  confidently  and  lose  every  cent  they  put  in." 

"  But  some  make  large  sums." 

"  For  a  time,  but  they  all  come  out  the  same  way  sooner 
or  later." 

«  I'm  going  to  risk  a  little  deal  in  wheat,  any  way." 

«  Every  man  to  his  notion,  Norwell.  But  if  I  were  you 
I  should  not  risk  much." 

Tom  Norwell  never  did  anything  by  halves,  and  his  very 
audacity  now  proved  to  be  his  fortune.  With  his  five  hun- 
dred dollars  he  bought  fifty  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  on  a 
margin  of  one  cent  per  bushel.  At  the  close  of  business  that 
day  wheat  had  risen  one  cent,  and  his  profits  were  five  hun- 
dred dollars.  On  the  second  day  he  closed  the  deal  with  a 
profit  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  immediately  invested  the 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  again,  buying  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  bushels.  The  long  expected  advance  had  set  in. 
Wheat  climbed  steadily  day  by  day.  Occasionally  it  fell  back 
for  a  day  or  two  only  to  rally  to  a  still  higher  point.  For 
days  together  Norwell's  profits  were  fifteen  hundred  dollars 
and  occasionally  three  thousand  dollars  per  day.  He  grew 
cheerful  again.  His  spirits  rose,  and  his  old-time  vivacity 
became  habitual.  He  confided  his  great  luck  to  Wylie.  He 
felt  so  good  over  it  that  he  must  tell  some  one.  But  he  did 
not  tell  his  sister.  The  old-time  confidences  between  them 
were  no  moi"e.  She  noticed  that  he  was  unusually  cheerful 
and  guessed  that  perhaps  he  had  made  something,  for  she 
heard  from  friends  how  the  lucky  ones  were  raking  in  the 
dollars  on  the  Board  of  Trade.  She  expected,  of  course, 
that  he  would  lose  it  all  again,  and  despaired  of  ever  seeing 
her  brother  freed  from  this  terrible  gambling  mania  which  had 
possessed  him,  and  threatened  to  extinguish  all  his  better 
qualities  and  ruin  him   forever. 


4l6  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

Wheat  continued  to  advance  slowly.  When  Norwell's 
profits  had  mounted  away  into  the  thousands  Wylie  advised 
him  to  sell.  But  it  was  the  universal  opinion  that  wheat 
would  touch  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  hefore  it  stopped.  When 
it  reached  one  eighteen  Norwell  closed  his  deal  and  drew  out 
after  paying  all  commissions,  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  cash, 
lie  felt  as  if  an  unbearahle  weight  had  suddenly  been  re- 
moved from  his  shoulders.  He  had,  when  the  advance 
became  so  persistent,  determined  to  wait  till  he  made  fifty 
thousand,  and  as  his  profits  swelled  toward  that  figure  the 
strain  on  his  mind  became  intense.  Do  as  he  would  he 
could  not  conceal  it  from  Alice.  She  wondered  what  could 
be  the  cause  of  this  sudden  change  in  him.  She  knew  that 
the  total  he  had  to  invest  must  be  very  small,  and  its  loss  need 
not  prove  so  great  a  source  of  anxiety.  She  little  knew  the 
great  pressure  he  was  enduring,  and  largely  for  her  sake. 
During  the  last  ten  days  wheat  rose  only  four  cents  in  the 
whole  time,  and  Norwell,  to  conceal  his  anxiety  as  much  as 
possible,  staid  down  town  evenings  under  pretense  of  work- 
ing at  the  oflice. 

But  now  the  terrible  strain  was  over,  and  he  possessed  a 
sum  which  most  men  would  call  a  fortune.  With  almost 
frantic  eagerness  he  clutched  the  precious  check  and  hurried 
off  to  deposit  it  in  the  bank  before  the  hour  for  clearing.  His 
fingers  trembled  so  that  his  indorsement  was  scarcely  legible, 
and  the  bank  teller,  who  knew  him  well,  remarked  his  excite- 
ment, and  on  seeing  the  check  guessed  its  cause. 

"  In  luck,  Norwell?"  he  said  quietly. 

"  Yes,  great  luck." 

Norwell  opened  an  account  with  the  bank  and  got  a 
check  book.  That  afternoon  just  before  leaving  the  office  he 
drew  a  check  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  payable  to 
Alice  Norwell.  He  would  have  added,  interest,  but  he  well 
knew  that  she  would  not  accept  it.  That  evening  as  they 
met  at  their  boarding  house  she  thought  he  acted  strangely. 
He  seemed  in  unusually  good  spirits  antl  talked  a  great  deal, 
but  his  light  remarks  were  incoherent  and  in  contrast  to  his 
usual  mood  lately.  At  length,  with  a  voice  that  showed  a 
tremor,  though  he  did  his  best  to  control  it,  he  began 
abruptly : 

"  Alice,  you  owe  your  poverty,  to  me." 

"  Brother,  we  agreed  long  ago  to  say  no  more  about 
that." 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  417 

"  But  I  will  say  something  about  it.  1  took  your  mone\'. 
You  called  it  theft.  That  was  right,  but  I  said  you  would 
be  sorry  for  it  sometime.  Will  this  wipe  away  the  stain  of 
theft?"  Then  he  handed  her  the  envelope  containing  the 
check.  With  eager  fingers  she  tore  it  open  and  read  the 
amount. 

"  Oh,  Tom,  Tom!"  she  exclaimed,  with  tears  springing 
to  her  eyes,  "I  would  rather  lose  every  dollar  I  ever  had  than 
have  you   speak  so.     Can't  you   forgive  that  hasty  word?" 

"  As  I  said,  you  spoke  only  the  truth.  I  have  tried  to 
make  all  the  reparation  possible." 

"  Brother,  you  have  been  true  and  kind,  only  say  you 
will  forgive  me." 

"Alice,  don't  ask  forgiveness  of  nie.  It  is  I  who  should 
beg  your  pardon   for  causing  you  so  much  deprivation." 

"  Tom,  say  no  more  about  hardships.  God  gives  us 
duties,  and  we  must  perform  them." 

"Now,  do  you  disapprove  of  my  operating  in  grain?"  he 
asked,  in  a  tone  of  triumph. 

"  Tom,"  she  replied,  after  hesitating  a  moment,  "  I  cannot 
change  my  opinion," 

"  But  you  will  keep  the  money?"  She  was  silent.  The 
right    and  wrong  of  some   questions   are  beyond  human  ken. 

His  tone  was  pleasant,  but  she  felt  that  his  restitution 
could  not  restore  the  affection  of  the  old  days.  There  were 
too  many  causes  of  difference,  and  that  was  gone  forever. 
He  could  not  forgive  her  for  being  his  superior  in  these  mat- 
ters of  abstract  right  and  practical  patient  endurance  under 
trials.  It  wounded  his  pride  and  impeached  his  judgment, 
which  he  thought  was  superior  in  a  man;  moreover  woman 
should  recognize  the  fact.  The  very  course  which  she  had 
always  condemned  had  at  last  brought  him  through  safely. 
In  his  triumph  he  had  forgotten  to  be  generous.  Even  with 
the  subject  on  his  lips  he  did  not  realize  all  she  had  endured 
for  him,  and  all  she  wAs  willing  to  endure.     He  went  on: 

"  Alice,  I  wish  you  would  invest  your  money  in  your 
own  way.  I  do  not  care  to  be  intrusted  with  any  responsi- 
bility concerning  it.     It   has   been  only  a  bitter   curse  to  me." 

"  Very  well,  Tom.  I  will  do  as  you  wish.  It  shall  cause 
you  no  trouble." 

For  a  time  Alice  Nor  well  was  very  unhappy  over  this 
estrangement.  The}-  went  along  just  as  before,  and  the  world 
was   not  aware  of  this   trouble    between    them.      But   it   was 

-7 


41 8  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

only  the  semblance  of  affection  such  as  prevails  in  thousands 
of  so-called  happy  homes.  One  deep,  never-failing  source  of 
joy  remained  to  her.  Arthur  Wilson  was  soon  expected 
back  from  the  West,  and  most  likely  the  time  was  not  far 
distant  when,  as  his  wife,  Alice  would  be  the  happy  possessor 
of  a  home  of  her  own.  Wilson  had  sold  his  interest  in  the 
Amazon.  The  branch  of  the  Cobweb  Line  had  been  built 
to  Ruby  Buttes  as  projected.  This  j^reat  railway  system  had 
received  a  land  grant  from  Congress,  as  did  nearly  all  roads 
projected  at  that  particular  time.  Guileless  Congressmen  had 
voted  extraordinary  inducements  to  the  Cobweb,  under  the 
impression  that  they  were  aiding  a  road  that  would  compete 
with  the  rapacious  Midland  Pacific,  wdiose  extortion  had 
become  well-nigh  unbearable  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  But  as 
the  projectors  of  the  new  road  were  really  Henry  Ingledee 
and  his  little  clique  of  partners,  who  also  owned  the  Midland 
Pacific,  it  was  difficult  for  any  one  informed  as  to  the  facts,  to 
see  how  competition  would  arise  from  any  such  combination. 
It  looked  more  like  fitting  out  the  octopus  with  another  long 
arm  to  drag  in  a  few  more  victims. 

Mining  property  rapidly  advanced  in  value  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  greatly  reduced  cost  of  working  the  mines,  and 
transporting  ores  to  smelting  centers,  wliere  they  could  be 
worked  at  a  much  greater  profit.  The  Cobweb  had  a 
severe  contest  with  a  rival  line  for  the  possession  of  the  cele- 
brated Devil's  Claw  Canyon,  through  v/hich  mighty  rent  in 
the  mountains  there  was  room  for  only  a  single  track.  The 
militia  were  called  out  and  some  blood  shed,  but  the  Cob- 
web won,  and  held  the  canyon.  All  rivals  were  thus  ex- 
cluded from  this  region. 

When  the  schedule  of  rates  was  announced  it  was  found 
that  freight  on  ores  was  so  excessive  that  the  railroad  com- 
pany absorbed  most  of  the  extra  profits  which  otherwise 
would  have  followed  from  a  reasonablt^  tariff.*  The  principal 
mine  owners  protested,  but  in  vain.  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  confer  with  the  officers  of  tlie  road,  and  see 
whether  lower  rates  could  be  obtained.  Wilson  was  chair- 
man of  this  committee.  In  that  capacity  he  wrote  to  the 
Honorable  Sanford  Landi;?,  at  San  Francisco,  who  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Midland  and  Cobweb  routes.  He  received  in 
due  time  a  reply,  in  which  the  Honorable  gentleman  referred 

*Notc  12.— The  Mining  Industry. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  419 

to,  laid  down  the  startling  proposition  that  common  carriers 
were  private  enterprises,  and  that  their  owners  had  as  much 
right  to  charge  what  they  pleased  for  services,  as  did  the 
owner  of  a  store  to  set  a  price  on  his  goods.  Further,  this 
Honorable  logician  held  that  the  true  criterion  hy  which  all 
rates  should  be  regulated  was  "  what  the  traffic  would  bear." 

Has  this  country  ever  before  witnessed  a  like  exhibition  of 
brazen  impudence,  considering  that  this  Honorable  railroad 
officer  was  President  of  a  system  of  lines,  large  portions  of 
which  had  been  built  by  the  government,  expi^essly  to  obtain 
cheap  transportation  for  the  people?  Can  rapacity  go  any 
farther,  short  of  confiscation?  Nay  more,  these  logic-loving 
railway  thieves  compel  merchants  to  exhibit  their  books  and 
disclose  profits,  in  order  that  a  soulless  corporation  may  know 
just  what  the  traffic  will  bear.*  No  monarch  in  Europe,  not 
excepting  the  Czar  of  Russia,  dare  go  half  so  fiir. 

In  consequence  of  this  announcement  of  the  policy  of  the 
railway  company,  mining  property  fell  to  the  old  figures  which 
it  commanded  when  the  ore  was  smelted  by  a  wasteful  pro- 
cess at  home,  for  want  of  suitable  ores  to  mix  and  facilitate 
the  fluxing,  and  when  all  provisions  were  hauled  in  and  bul- 
lion hauled  out  by  wagon.  Wilson  and  his  partners  sold  for 
two  and  a  half  millions,  a  mine  that  would  elsewhere  under 
competitive  rates,  easily  have  brought  five  millions.  With  a 
fortune  at  command  he  determined  to  settle  in  the  East,  and 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  successful  venture. 

Wilson  spent  a  few  weeks  visiting  with  the  Norwells.  It 
was  arranged  that  his  marriage  with  Alice  should  not  take 
place  till  a  few  months  later,  Tom  Norwell,  since  his  lucky 
deal  in  wheat,  had  thought  of  returning  to  New  York,  where 
his  extensive  acquaintance  would  probably  enable  him  eventu- 
ally to  enter  into  business  arrangements,  which  he  could  not 
hope  to  make  among  strangers.  He  wisely  determined  to 
hold  on  to  the  little  he  had  rather  than  risk  it  in  uncertain 
ventures.  After  considerable  discussion  of  the  matter,  the 
Norwells  finally  decided  to  go  East  at  once  with  Wilson. 

Tom  Norwell  had,  meantime,  continued  his  correspond- 
ence with  both  Chetta  Ingledee  and  May  Bryce,  and  had 
visited  the  latter  two  or  three  times  since  leaving  the  farm. 
Instead  of  adhering  to  his  resolution  to  cut  short  his  cor- 
respondence with  Chetta,  he   had  weakly  allowed  it  to  go  on. 

*Nott:  13.— Stand  and  deliver. 


420  AN    IKON    CKOWN. 

Her  letters  constantly  grew  more  confidential.  His  were 
friendly  and  non-committal.  The  tone  of  hers  plainly  in- 
dicated that  the  writer  presumed  on  the  fact  that  she  and  her 
correspondent  were  acknowledged  lovers.  He  seldom  gave 
the  matter  the  consideration  it  demanded,  because  both 
women  were  at  a  distance,  and  their  letteis,  though  in  the 
same  pocket,  could  not  quarrel.  Lately  he  had  hit  on  the 
ide;i  of  letting  matters  drift  along  till  he  returned  to  New 
York.  Then  of  course  he  should  cease  correspondence  with 
Chetla,  and  would  find  a  means  of  withdrawing  himself 
from  her  society.  But  the  young  lady  herself  upset  all  his 
plans,  and  he  soon  realized  that  he  was  in  a  most  uncomfort- 
able fix.  This  passionate,  spirited  woman  had  always  loved 
this  man.  Now  that  she  had,  as  she  believed,  a  real  hold  on 
his  affections,  she  would  die  sooner  than  surrender  him  to 
another  woman.  She  loved  Tom  Norwell,  she  had  always 
loved  him,  and  now  she  believed  that  he  loved  her.  When  it 
came  to  the  test  he  lacked  the  courage  to  disabuse  her  mind 
of  its  illusion,  and  confess  to  her  his  weakness  and  baseness. 

Norwell  still  would  not  admit  to  himself  that  he  was 
anything  but  an  old  friend  of  Chetta  Ingledee.  He  never 
really  thought  of  breaking  faith  with  May.  Her  beauties  of 
person  and  character,  and  her  unaffected  simplicity  of  manner 
still  charmed  him,  as  they  had  at  first  won  his  heart.  He 
had  acknowledged  long  ago  that  she  was  not  suitable  for  a 
wife  for  him.  He  wished  that  she  had  a  little  more  of  that 
peculiar  practical  discrimination  of  persons  and  things,  which 
some  people  can  never  acquire,  no  matter  how  gieat  their  ex- 
2)eriencc.  He  should  have  liked  if  her  innocent  simplicity 
had  not  been  accompanied  by  so  large  a  portion  of  credulity, 
for  May,  judging  others  by  herself,  trusted  implicitly  anyone 
in  whom  she  once  placed  confidence.  He  would  positively 
have  liked  her  better  if  she  could  have  followed  her  first 
thought  of  Chetta  Ingledee  to  its  conclusion,  and  have  dis- 
covered his  own  unintentional  but  cowardly  dilly-dallying. 
Possibl)'  he  would  have  liked  her  better  had  she  been  jealous, 
and  had  spoken*  her  mind  plainly.  Still  he  would  marry  her, 
come  what  may,  as  soon  as  he  was  established  in  business  and 
had  an  assured  income. 

Tom  went  out  to  Prairie  Grande  for  a  short  visit  before 
going  East.  He  told  the  Bryces  of  his  recent  good  fortune, 
and  they  were  greatly  pleased.  It  kindled  a  secret  joy  in 
May's  heart,  for  she  thought  that  now  the  wedding  day,  which 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  42 1 

heretofore  had  been  a  disembodied  phantom  that  vainly  sought 
a  location  in  tbe  calendar  of  time,  might  at  last  be  projected 
into  the  visible  horizon.  Surely,  she  thought,  fifty  thousand 
dollars  was  enough  for  any  man  to  begin  life  witli,  particularly 
when  his  wife  was  willin^j  to  begin  it  with  notbing  but  his 
love.  The  two  or  three  days  of  his  visit  went  rapidly  by. 
They  drove  in  those  balmy  May  days  along  the  level  roads 
where  the  grass  was  springing  everywhere,  and  the  osage 
hedges,  with  their  delicate  green,  contrasted  with  the  dark 
green  of  the  older  grass.  Tom  hiughed  heartily,  as  he  re- 
called some  of  his  own  ludicrous  adventures  of  the  previous 
summer.  She  made  him  bouquets  of  the  wild  flowers,  and  for 
a  brief  time  he  thought  he  should  like  to  abandon  forever  the 
smoke,  dirt  and  worry  of  a  great  city  to  dwell  in  this  capri- 
cious climate  of  alternate  storm  and  sunshine.  But  the  thought 
of  farm  life  as  he  had  found  it  instantly  dispelled  these  fancies. 
It  is  a  good  thing  to  change  occupations  for  a  season,  when 
discontent  settles  deeply  into  our  natures.  The  man  who 
grumbles  at  too  much  wheat  bread  and  butter,  will  change 
his  tune  after  he  has  lived  for  months  on  corn  bread  and 
pork  gravy.     Misfortune  past  is  the  parent  of  content. 

On  the  Sunday  afternoon,  which  was  the  last  day  of  Tomb's 
visit,  the  lovers  sat  in  the  yard  on  a  bench  under  a  great  ajDple 
tree.  The  male  robins  flew  here  and  there  incessantly,  be- 
guiling the  tedious  hours  during  which  the  female  brooded  on 
her  eggs.  Now  they  quirked  and  hopped,  and  scolded  these 
intruders,  as  they  flitted  from  tree  to  tree.  The  afternoon 
sun  shone  briglitly  through  the  trembling  leaves.  A  light 
breeze  showered  the  perfumed  petals  down  around  them,  and 
the  rustling  of  the  leaves  stilled  the  senses  into  harmonv  with 
this  delightful  quiet  Sabbath.  There  was  nothing  to  mar  the 
beauty  of  the  scene.  The  only  thing  that  reminded  the  lovers 
of  the  great  world,  was  a  buggy  that  passed  down  the  road, 
containing  also  two  lovers,  happy  like  themselves.  May  had 
brought  out  some  books  and  papers  to  read.  Tom  had  read 
to  her  a  very  funnj'  piece  from  the  pen  of  a  celebrated  humor- 
ist. May  took  up  a  volume  which  chanced  to  be  the  poems 
of  Coleridge.  Among  the  books  at  this  old  farmhouse  were 
a  complete  set  of  the  British  poets,  and  what  is  unusual  in 
these  days  of  cheap  "libraries"  and  voluminous  turnip-juice 
literature,  they  were  often  read.  May  read  to  him  that  ex- 
quisite poem  beginning: 


422  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  All  thoughts,  all  passions,  all  delights, 

Whatever  stir  this  mortal  frame, 
All  are  but  ministers  of  love, 

And  feed  his  sacred  flame." 

Comments  were  made  on  the  literary  beauties  of  the  poem, 
and  Tom  remarked  Hnally  that  it  stated  the  case  pretty 
strongly. 

"  But  don't  you  think  it  may  be  true  in  some  cases,  Tom?'' 

"Prairie  Blossom,  those  things  exist  in  the  imagination  of 
poets,  but  nowhere  else,  in  my  opinion." 

"I  think  difTcrently;  I  think  there  arc  people  to  whom 
love  is  just  what  Coleridge  pictures  it." 

"They  may  imagine  it  to  be  so,  just  as  the  poet  did." 

May  then  turned  to  the  "Ancient  Mariner,"  which  strange, 
weird  story  she  had  many  times  read.  She  paused  at  the 
allusion  to  the  wedding  feast,  but  Tom  made  no  comment. 
She  seized  this  opportunity  for  mentioning  the  subject  nearest 
her  heart.  She  disliked  to  speak,  but  if  her  lover  would  not 
she  would  be  obliged  to  break  the  silence.  When  he  first 
mentioned  his  intention  of  going  to  New  York  she  was  in  de- 
spair. That  would  in  all  probability  defer  their  marriage, 
and  this  easy-going  lover  might  continue  for  years  a  lover 
before  he  became  a  husband. 

"  Tom,  what  if  an  ancient  mariner  should  interrupt  our 
wedding  guests?" 

"  I'd  have  a  policeman  after  him  quick  enough.  But  then 
that  is  impossible,  May;  there  are  no  mariners  out  here  since 
the  prairie  schooner  is  extinct." 

"  But  the  sailor  may  come  in  disguise  and  cause  delay." 
He  imderstood  the  delicate  hint  at  once. 

"  No,  dear,  in  due  time  we  shall  be  married  in  spite  of  all 
the  ancient  mariners  or  gaVjbling  old  persons  in  Christendom. 
Nothing  shall  eve)"  part  us." 

"  Can  you  not  see  3our  way  clear  now,  Toin  ?  You  have 
been  lucky.  Fifty  thousand  dollars  is  a  fortune."  She  knew 
nothing  of  Alice's  having  received  half  of  tlie  money,  and  he 
could  not  disclose  that  humiliating  secret. 

"  Fifty  thousand  would  be  a  great  deal  of  money  here,  but 
remember,  dear  girl,  that  we  are  to  live  in  New  York."  She 
almost  hated  the  name  of  New  York,  coupled  as  it  was,  with 
his  ambitious  hopes. 

"  How  much  do  you  want,  Tom?" 

"Not  less  than  a  hundred  thousand." 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  423 

"  That  is  a  great  deal  of  money.  We  may  never  have  so 
much,"  she  said,  rather  discouraged, 

"  Never  fear;  we  must  hope.  Then  neither  of  us  is  grow- 
ing old  yet.  Really,  dear,  can  you  not  wait  a  year  or  two  for 
nie  till  the  way  is  clearer?" 

"Tom,  can  30U  doubt  me?  Yes,  I  can  wait  many  years 
for  you,  though  I  should  be  happy  to  be  with  you,  and  help 
you  make  your  fortune,  but  I  will  trust  to  your  judgment  and 
wait  patiently." 

"  It  will  not  be  long,  I  hope." 

"  It  cannot  be  very  long." 

Next  day  he  bade  the  family  adieu  and  returned  to  the 
city.  With  a  sad  heart  May  saw  him  go.  A  part  of  the  light 
had  gone  out  of  her  existence.  Instead  of  the  blissful  happi- 
ness of  the  last  year,  she  had  what? — only  waiting. 

The  same  afternoon  she  hitched  her  pony  to  the  buggy 
and  started  to  drive  to  a  neighbor's.  As  she  passed  out  of 
sight  behind  the  barn,  she  suddenly  remembered  that  she  had 
forgotten  her  driving  gloves.  She  hitched  the  pony  there, 
and,  entering  by  the  lane,  came  into  the  house  at  the  back 
door.  While  looking  for  her  gloves,  she  overheard  a  brief 
dialogue  between  her  parents,  which  sent  a  chill  foreboding 
to  her  heart.  They  were  talking  earnestly,  tliinking  them- 
selves alone. 

"  Mary,  I  think  you  are  too  hard  on  the  young  man." 

"  I  tell  you  I  have  reasons  for  my  distrust.  Why  does  he 
not  marry  now  that  he  has  plenty  of  money?  What  is  the 
use  of  this  continual  delay  ?" 

"  Mary,  there  is  no  hurry.  The  young  man  is  entitled  to 
his  opinion  about  what  is  best  for  him." 

"Jacob,  I  fear  he  is  not  sincere.  In  my  opinion  there  is 
another  girl  mixed  ujd  in  the  affair.  What  did  I  tell  you  all 
along?" 

"  Fiddlesticks,  that  is  all  nonsense." 

"  That  is  what  you  always  say,  Jacob.  You  have  stood 
up  for  him  all  the  time.  But  I  tell  you  he  doesn't  act  like  a 
man  who  is  very  deep  in  love." 

"There's  a  good  deal  of  moonshine  about  love,  Mary." 

"May  be  there  is,  but  she  just  adores  him.  Poor  child, 
I'm  afraid  she  is  only  making  trouble  for  herself." 

At  first  May  resented  this  imputation  on  her  lover.  She 
stole  'quietly  from  the  house,  and  went  on  her  visit.  But  as 
she  drove  along,  the  remarks  of  her  mother  sank  deeper 
and  deeper. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

ARTHUR   WILSON,  ESQUIRE,  MILLIONAIRE,  VERSUS    ARTJIUR 

WILSON,     POOR     YOUNG     MAN. THE     SNICKERS     EXHIBIT 

THE    FAMILY    JOSS. 

During  the  summer,  Alice  Norwell  visited  with  some 
friends  at  a  quiet  seaside  resort  where  Wilson  and  Tom 
occasionally  spent  a  Sunday  with  her,  or  made  various  short 
pleasure  excursions  of  their  own  planning.  Autiunn  came, 
and  with  it  the  gay  thousands  who  had  been  spending  the 
heated  term  at  the  summer  resorts.  Society  was  getting 
ready  to  undergo  another  season  with  all  the  scheming, 
rivalry,  triumphs,  and  disappointments  which,  if  not  cut  up 
into  *'  seasons,"  would  doubtless  extinguish  utterly  the  fashion- 
able machinery.  Norwell  and  his  sister,  who  had  heretofore 
through  all  their  misfortunes  and  poverty,  succeeded  in  main- 
taining a  home  by  keeping  up  the  tender  domestic  ties  of 
childhood,  now  concluded  to  separate.  It  was  his  plan.  He 
gave  as  a  reason  that  cheaper  lodgings  could  be  obtained  in 
that  way  than  by  hiring  enough  rooms  to  maintain  their  old 
style  of  living.  This  was  true,  but  Alice  saw  plainly  that 
economy  was  not  the  real  cause  of  his  wish  to  be  free  from 
her.  She  made  no  objection,  though  she  felt  that  now  indeed 
the  most  sacred  ties,  hallowed  by  time  and  affection,  were 
severed  never  iriore  to  be  resumed.  Unavailing  regrets  were 
viseless.  Families  must  break  up  sometime  finall}',  and  the 
time  had  come  with  theirs.  She  was  grieved  at  the  manner  of 
their  separation.  She  had  once  hoped  that  her  brother  could 
always  he  to  her  what  he  had  been  in  their  childhood  days. 
But  that  could  never  be  again,  and  she  consented  readily  to 
his  proposition.  As  Alice  had  been  absent  from  New  York 
for  a  year  or  more,  her  engagement  with  Arthur  Wilson  was 
not  generally  known,  and  they  decided  to  make  no  formal 
announcement  of  the  fact. 

Wilson's  wealth  made  him  an  object  to  society.  The  dif- 
ference between  Arthur  Wilson,  a  poor  young  man  seeking 
employment,  and  Mr.  Wilson  the  millionaire,  was  as  great  as 

(424) 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  425 

the  distance  from  the  zenith  to  the  nadir.  When  stylish 
people  were  introduced  to  Arthur  Wilson,  the  plainly  dressed 
young  man  from  the  country,  he  was  greeted  with  a  polite 
bow,  and  at  most  a  few  minutes'  careless  conversation.  Next 
day  the  same  people,  as  a  rule,  did  not  know  him  at  all  if  they 
met  him  by  chance.  Occasionally  some  old-fiishioned  lady  or 
gentleman,  who  was  pretty  well  through  with  the  nonsense 
of  this  life,  or  some  very  plain  young  lady,  who  was  obliged 
to  be  agreeable,  found  Wilson  a  very  congenial  acquaintance. 
lUit,  on  the  whole,  a  little  circle  of  oblivion  surrounded  him 
that  annihilated  any  feeling  of  sociability  in  himself.  He  was 
in  the  condition  of  the  man  who  tries  to  warm  himself  at  the 
phosphorescent  glow  of  decaying  wood,  imagining  it  to  be 
real  fire.  It  is  a  pretty  sentiment  that  ascribes  to  modest 
merit  its  unfailing  reward.  On  the  whole,  it  does  credit  to 
the  human  race,  and  is  an  evidence  that  people's  intentions 
are  good.  But  it  is  a  noticeable  fact,  that  the  merit  which 
meets  with  the  biggest  reward  is  that  which  is  possessed  of  a 
good-sized  trumpet  on  which  it  discreetl}'  toots  from  time  to 
time.  If  this  useful  piece  of  furniture  is  of  gold  and  silver, 
a  kind  public  will  volunteer  to  do  the  tooting — for  a 
consideration. 

Toward  Arthur  Wilson,  millionaire,  all  this  was  changed. 
He  was  pointed  out  as  the  wealthy  Colorado  miner,  and  his 
million  several  times  multiplied.  Strange  to  relate,  people 
seemed  to  have  better  memories  than  formerly.  Persons  who 
had  been  introduced  to  him  in  the  bustle  of  a  great  crowd, 
with  time  for  only  the  shortest  greetings,  could  remember  him 
a  month  afterward,  and  were  ready  to  take  the  first  steps  in 
subsequent  recognition.  Mammas  with  marriageable  daugh- 
ters  thought  him  a  most  excellent  young  man,  whose  acquain- 
tance was  greatly  to  be  desired.  Beautiful  young  ladies  in 
ravishing  toilets  sought  introductions,  made  themselves  most 
agreeable,  and  invited  him  to  call  on  the  shortest  possible 
acquaintance  permitted  by  the  canons  of  etiquette.  If 
perchance,  he  met  these  same  ladies  on  the  street,  they 
invariably  recognized  him.  He  was  no  more  brilliant  than 
he  had  been.  Association  with  rustlers,  gamblers,  and 
greasers  had  not  improved  his  manners  greatly.  He  had  no 
thrilling  tales  of  border  warfare  to  tell.  He  had  never  set 
up  in  his  life  for  a  wit,  and  if  he  had,  his  reputation  would 
not  have  been  greatl}'  enhanced  by  a  protracted  diet  of  Mis- 
souri bacon  and  Boston  baked  beans.     Just  now  it  is  fashion- 


426  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

able  with  certain  iconoclasts  to  go  round  exploding  old 
notions  to  which  clings  the  reverence  usually  attached  to 
antiquity,  especially  the  humbug  part  of  antiquity.  Now  I 
wish  to  practice  with  a  "44"  for  a  few  moments  on  the  absurd 
notion  that  beans  are  necessarily  an  intellect-producing  article 
of  diet.  I  am  aware  that  they  are  freely  partaken  of,  appar- 
ently without  disastrous  consequences,  in  one  of  the  most  in- 
tellectual centers  of  the  world.  But  the  good  effects  observed 
in  that  locality  must  be  attributed  to  the  atmosphere,  or  to 
some  other  undiscovered  cause,  for  it  is  an  incontestable  fact 
that  elsewhere  a  diet  of  pork  and  beans  does  not  produce  the 
same  desirable  results. 

Wilson  felt  ill  at  ease  in  all  this  glitter  to  which  he  had 
not  been  accustomed.  He  thought  it  a  waste  of  time  to  win- 
now social  chaff  for  an  entire  evening  to  get  a  few  grains  of 
shriveled  wheat.  Yet  all  that  Arthur  Wilson,  millionaire, 
said  or  did  was  approved  by  society,  and  duly  stamped  with 
the  official  seal  of  Mrs.  Grundy. 

Another  person,  whose  history  is  linked  with  this  story, 
is  visiting  in  New  York  during  the  winter.  May  Bryce  had 
thought  mucii  over  the  disagreeable  possibilities  implied  in 
the  remark  which  she  had  accidentally  overhead  as  it  fell  from 
her  mother's  lips  that  afternoon  in  her  Illinois  home.  Could 
her  lover  be  untrue?  No,  he  had  explained  satisfactorily  his 
reasons  for  not  marrying.  Her  mother  knew  nothing  of  this, 
or  she  would  have  thought  diffurenlly.  But  that  allusion  to 
another  young  lady  in  the  case,  troubled  May,  struggle  as  she 
might  against  it.  Little  by  little  she  lost  her  elasticity  of 
spirits,  and  was  less  inclined  to  drive  out  to  visit  the  neighbors, 
as  was  her  custom.  She  grew  thmner,  and  complained  fre- 
quently of  being  tired.  On  being  questioned,  she  answered 
that  she  was  perfectly  well.  Letters  came  regularly  from  her 
lover,  and  the  parents  were  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the  change. 
Mrs.  Bryce  thought  that  her  daughter's  former  visit  to  the 
city  had  caused  the  same  symptoms,  but  now  they  had 
returned  amidst  the  quiet  duties  of  farm  life.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bryce  finally  decided  that  a  change  would  benefit  May,  and, 
as  the  winters  on  the  prairies  were  very  severe,  it  was  decided 
to  allow  her  to  visit  her  aunt  in  the  East,  with  the  injunction 
that  she  must  not  spend  so  much  time  in  the  city.  Mrs. 
Bryce  wrote  her  sister  the  facts  in  the  case,  and  asked  her  to 
be  particularly  careful  of  the  charge  intrusted  to  her  care. 
Alice  and  May  were  now  on  the  best  of  terms.     Alice 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  427 

had  for  a  long  time  felt  that  her  brother  was  not  treathi^i  May 
right.  She  sincerely  loved  this  country  lass,  and  determined, 
so  far  as  in  her  lay,  to  make  amends  for  him,  If  that  were 
possible,  by  kindness  on  her  own  part.  Finally,  she  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  this  love  affair  had  not  gone  so  far  as  she 
suspected.  But  as  Tom  unfailingly  called  when  May  was 
there,  Alice  knew  that  tliere  must  be  collusion  between  them. 
Then  she  arrived  at  a  conclusion  frequently  reached  by 
interested  female  relatives  on  similar  occasions;  she  would 
break  off  the  relations  between  the  lovers,  if  that  were  pos- 
sible, because  as  things  were  going  now  there  was  only 
misery  in  store  for  them  both.  She  hinted  to  May  that,  per- 
haps, certain  traits  of  her  brother  would  sometime  render  his 
character  unsteady.  She  felt  guilty  in  thus  speaking  against 
Tom,  but  a  consciousness  of  an  upright  motive  sustained  her 
in  doing  it.  But  May  received  the  communication  with 
such  bad  grace,  and,  moreover,  seemed  so  distressed  by  it, 
that  Alice  at  once  guessed  the  whole  truth,  and  then  there 
was  only  love  in  her  heart,  and  sympathy  for  her  unhappy 
friend. 

One  evening,  as  the  two  women  sat  in  Alice's  cosy  room 
before  the  cheerful  grate  fire,  Mary  Hackett  called,  Mary 
had  kept  up  her  acquaintance  with  Alice.  Tom  Norwell 
still  called  on  Mary  and  Aunt  Rhoda  occasionally,  but  not  so 
often  as  formerly.  Mary  was  now  neatly  dressed,  and  looked 
unusually  well  She  had  lately  been  made  forewoman  in  the 
pamphlet  department  at  the  bindery,  and  received  a  salary  of 
twenty  dollars  per  week,  on  which  she  and  Aunt  Rhoda,  with 
the  little  income  they  already  possessed,  managed  to  live  very 
comfortably.  Presently,  a  knock  was  heard  at  the  door,  and 
Tom  Norwell  greeted  his  sister  as  she  opened  it. 

Norwell  chatted  and  jested  in  his  usual  lively  vein.  He 
tried  to  divide  his  attentions  as  best  he  could  between  May 
and  Mary  Hackett.  The  observant  eye  of  the  latter,  how- 
ever, carefully  studied  the  situation.  She  saw  that  while 
Tom  Norwell  was  studiously  trying  to  entertain  everybody, 
he  was  really  thinking  of  Miss  Bryce.  A  half  hour  was 
pleasantly  passed  in  conversation,  and  Mary  rose  to  go. 
Tom  insisted  on  seeing  her  home,  and  would  hear  no  refusal. 
When  they  arrived  at  Mary's  home,  Tom  declined  to  go  in, 
though  it  was  not  late  and  he  knew  Aunt  Rhoda  would  be 
glad  to  see  him.  He  bade  Mary  good-night  and  passed  down 
the  rickett)-  stairway.     Aunt  Rhoda  met  her  at  the  door. 


428  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

"  Alarv,  who  was  that  with  you?" 

"Mr.  Norwcll." 

"  Why  coulihi't  he  come  in. ^"  asked  the  old  lady  rather 
sharply. 

"  1  don't  know,  Aunt.     I  asked  him  in." 

"  I  don't  like  his  slippin'  round  that  way.  I  like  to  see 
folks  above  board  in  sich  doin's." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Auntie?" 

"  Oh,  land  sakes,  you  know  what  I  mean.  If  John  was 
alive  he  wouldn't  allow  you  to  go  gallivantin'  round  with 
young  men  that  can't  show  their  faces." 

"  Auntie,"  said  Mary,  with  dignity,  "  Mr.  Norwell  is  a 
gentleman.  He  came  only  because  he  would  not  allow  me 
to  come  home  alone.  I  don't  think  you  have  a  right  to 
speak  that   way."     Mary   now  burst  into  tears. 

"  Land  sakes,  child,"  said  Aunt  Rhoda,  more  kindly, 
"don't  take  on  that  wa}'.  I  meant  no  harm,  but  I  know 
young  folks  need  a  little  advice  now  and  then." 

Mary  had  not  heard  the  last  of  Aunt  Rhoda's  speech. 
She  had  gone  into  the  little  bedroom,  and  flinging  herself  on 
the  bed,  had  burst  into  a  passionate  flood  of  bitter  tears.  Tom 
Norwell  had  been  to  her  the  ideal  of  manly  beauty  and 
manly  virtues.  She  had  admired  him  from  a  child,  though 
she  realized  how  far  he  was  above  her  and  the  uselessness  of 
her  thinking  of  him  more  than  as  a  friend.  Even  that  she 
knew  was  a  condescension  on  his  part.  She  had  never 
regarded  him  in  any  other  light.  His  great  kindness  to  her 
brother  had  made  her  friendship  and  gratitude  for  him  as 
firm,  as  deep,  and  as  lasting,  as  such  a  feeling  can  exist.  She 
would  have  made  any  sacrifice  to  aid  him  in  trouble.  Now, 
when  she  had  seen  the  beauty  of  this  Prairie  Flower  of 
whom  she  had  heard,  Mary  Hackett  realized  that  another 
had  come  forever  between  her  and  Tom  Norwell,  and  that 
she  loved  him,  deeply,  passionately,  with  a  love  she  could 
never  forget.  She  knew  well  that  even  without  a  rival  such 
love  must  be  hopeless.  She  could  have  endured  this,  but  to 
have  Aunt  Rhoda  blunder  on  her  secret,  which  had  been  a 
secret  even  to  herself,  and  to  hear  her  censure  Norwell,  who 
was  as  innocent  in  the  matter  as  an  angel  of  light,  was  more 
than  woman's  nature  could  endure.  She  shed  scalding  tears 
of  bitter,  comfortless  despair,  while  Aunt  Rhoda,  all  uncon- 
scious of  the  misery  she  had  caused,  sat  industriously  plying 
her  needle  in  the  little  sitting  room. 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  429 

The  social  top  was  now  spinning  at  its  dizziest  rate.  Miss 
Harrie  Snicker  had  concluded  as  a  mere  interlude  to  more 
important  events  to  give  a  small,  select  card  party.  Miss 
Harrie,  having  with  difficulty  consoled  herself  after  Gar- 
mand's  sudden  disappearance,  was  casting  her  eye  about  for 
other  masculine  subjects  to  practice  her  little  arts  upon, 
which  to  her  surprise  did  not  as  a  rule  prove  so  powerful  as 
she  anticipated.  Miss  Snicker  was  fully  possessed  with  the 
idea  that  her  charms  were  by  no  means  common.  Had  she 
not  associated  with  them  for  years  intimately?  And  a 
Snicker  would  not  associate  with  anything  common.  Hence 
she  was  always  at  a  loss  to  discover  why  the  young  men  of 
her  set  failed  to  recognize  in  them  something  uncommon. 
Meantime  Mr.  Bradley  had  worshiped  at  a  distance,  and  in 
proximity  when  the  paternal  vigilance  was  relaxed. 

jSIiss  Snicker  had  lately  acquired  a  new  accomplishment. 
To  speak  French  was  the  very  latest  absurdity  of  high  society, 
and  now  vivisection  of  the  Gallic  tongue  might  be  wit- 
nessed in  almost  every  fashionable  assemblage.  The  Anglo- 
Saxon,  with  its  rugged  phrase,  no  longer  sufficed  to  express 
the  strivings  of  the  "  utter"  aristocracy  after  the  unreachable. 
Conversation  was  carried  on  d'une  maniere  exquise,  and  to 
Miss  Snicker's  mind  this  was  comme  il  faut,  which  she 
rendered  in  a  tripping  enunciation  as  "  kummil  faw."  The 
French  of  Fifth  avenue  was  on  a  higher  plane  than  the 
French  of  the  boulevards  of  Paris.  In  fact,  natives  of 
France  had  been  known  to  acknowletlge  its  superiority  in  the 
necessity  of  resorting  to  English  as  a  medium  of  communi- 
cation, thus  pleading  guilty  to  a  lamentable  ignorance  of  the 
niceties  of  their  own  tongue.  Miss  Snicker  had  remarked  on 
this  tendency  in  foreigners  and  observed  to  an  astonished  Gaul 
that  it  was  not  "kummil  faw.  N'est  ce  pas?"  she  continued, 
pronouncing  the  phrase  naisy  paw.  "  Mademoiselle  de 
Snicker,  you  speaks  ze  Francais  parfaitement,  but  I  prefair 
ze  Inglees? " 

"Indeed!  Well,  I  don't  care  much  about  it  now.  It  is 
getting   unfamiliar.     Voila  toot.     Adieu,  Munseer." 

Miss  Harrie,  assisted  by  a  dear  friend  in  that  most  per- 
plexing of  all  tasks,  revising  her  list  (for  invitation  lists,  like 
school  books,  must  be  constantly  revised  up  to  date),  sud- 
denly remembered  that  she  had  an  acquaintance  with  x4rthur 
Wilson.     He  was  added  to  the  list. 

There  was  an  ill-defined  rumor  current   to   the  effect  that 


430  AN    IKON    CKOWN. 

Tom  Norwell  had  made  a  fortune  in  Chicago.  Until  it  re- 
ceived definite  corroboration  or  contradiction,  Miss  Snicker 
generously  consented  to  a  suspension  of  judgment  in  the  case 
of  the  Norwells,  and  gave  them  the  benefit  of  the  doubt  before 
pronouncing  them  too  "common"  to  swim  in  the  highly 
rarefied  stratum  of  social  culture  in  which  the  Snicker  family 
serenely  floated.  She  was  somewhat  confirmed  in  this  deci- 
sion by  the  fact  that  her  powerful  friend,  Miss  Ingledee,  had 
once  or  twice  very  promptly  resented  a  fling  at  the  Norwells. 

Miss  Snicker's  card  parly  was  a  success.  At  any  rate,  the 
refreshments,  by  Del  Mundo,  were  simply  exquisite.  That 
was  the  chief  thing  to  begin  on.  Then  the  outre  tones  of  Miss 
Harrie's  zebra-streaked,  flower-bespangled,  yellow  dress  com- 
pensated amply  for  the  ver3'  negative  tints  of  her  features  and 
personality.  The  "Old  Commoner"  assisted  in  entertaining 
with  a  great  deal  of  pompous  fussiness.  He  was  here  and 
there  doing  the  agreeable,  on  strictly  business  principles.  His 
shirt  which  was  as  stiff  as  a  board,  his  glossy  high  collar  which 
chafed  a  scarlet  line  beneath  his  smooth  fat  jaw,  his  broad- 
cloth coat  that  strove  to  compress  his  ample  figure,  and  his 
massive  gold  watch  and  chain,  together  with  his  brusque  pay- 
as-you-go  air,  all  seemed  to  say  plainly,  "I  am  doing  this 
genteelly,  as  becomes  a  man  who  scooped  a  million  out  of 
sugar."  Strange  to  say  he  never  alluded  during  the  entire 
evening  to  that  famous  saccharine  feat.  After  having  heard 
it  mentioned  several  thousand  times,  it  finally  began  to  dawn 
upon  ISIrs.  and  Miss  Snicker  that  perhaps  the  public  might 
be  losing  interest  in  the  subject,  and  would  welcome  a  change 
in  the  conversational  key  note.  Straightway  Miss  Snicker  be- 
gan the  arduous  task  of  readjusting  the  paternal  colloquial 
machinery:  "Now,  Pa,  please  don't  mention  that  horrid 
sugar  again.  You  know  everybody  has  heard  of  it  a  dozen 
times." 

Ml'.  Fred  Snicker  was  a  thing  of  high,  very  high  art.  His 
clothes  fitted  him,  as  the  bullet  fits  tlie  copper  sheath  of  the 
cartridge.  A  little  joining  paste  might  have  given  rise  to  the 
illusion  that  they  grew  there.  As  to  how  he  ever  got  into 
them,  or  expected  to  get  out  again, — well,  let  the  veil  of  pri- 
vacy conceal  such  a  distressing  problem.  His  collar,  which 
was  one  story  higher  than  the  parental  neck  protector,  was 
surreptitiously,  with  remorseless  edge,  sawing  oflf  his  ears. 
The  only  hope  for  these  conspicuous  organs  was  that  the  style 
would   change    before   the    bloody    deed  was  accomplished. 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  43 1 

This  formidable  linen  fortification  concealed  a  neck  that 
sorely  needed  shielding  from  the  gaze  of  a  heartless  world, 
and  partially  did  the  same  for  the  over-ambitious  lower  jaw 
that  once  upon  a  time  had  vainly  attempted  to  swallow  the 
modest,  unoffending  chin.  The  latter  feature  had  barely 
escaped  complete  destruction  from  this  ruthless  incursion  of 
its  aggressive  neighbor.  Now  it  timidly  posed  as  best  it 
could,  wholly  exposed  to  view,  a  type  of  unprotected  inno- 
cence. Mr.  Fred  Snicker's  mustache  had  made  material  ad- 
vancement since  we  last  saw  him.  It  was,  in  fact,  now 
plainly  visible  to  the  naked  eye  across  a  room  when  the  light 
was  good  and  the  perspective  favorable.  The  observer's^  at- 
tention needed  to  be  stimulated,  however,  to.  secure  favorable 
results,  just  as  a  long  blue  line  in  the  horizon,  which  we  took 
at  a  casual  glance  to  be  a  part  of  the  sky,  proves  on  closer  in- 
spection to  be  water.  The  florist  had  also  done  his  duty  well. 
No  odious  fish  gewanium  lurked  in  Young  Snicker's  dainty 
boutoniere  to  tax  his  energies  with  its  howid,disagweeable,  ex- 
hausting odoh. 

Mrs.  Snicker  occupied  her  usual  vacuum.  The  reader 
may  take  exception  to  this  statement,  and  hurl  at  it  the  time- 
honored  proposition  of  physics  that  nature  abhors  a  vacuum. 
This  proposition  is  doubtless  true  In  a  physical  sense,  but 
nature  (or  art)  must  love  vacuums  in  society,  seeing  the  num- 
ber she  produces. 

Two  hours  were  spent  at  various  games  of  cards  according 
to  the  tastes  of  the  company.  When  a  change  of  partners 
was  made  Miss  Harrie  Snicker  managed  to  appropriate  Arthur 
Wilson,  while  Fred  secured  May  Br^'ce,  and  Chetta  Ingle- 
dee  fell  to  Norwell.  The  table  at  which  May  sat,  was  so 
situated  that  she  could  quietly  observe  all  that  passed  in  the 
large  parlors.  She  thought  she  could  detect  in  Chetta  the 
old  air  of  triumph  which  she  had  noticed  once  before.  May 
became  abstracted,  and  played  poorly,  greatly  to  the  chagrin 
of  her  partner  who  prided  himself  on  his  skill,  though  he  fre- 
quently forgot  what  cards  had  been  played.  Mr.  Fred 
Snicker  was  much  annoyed,  and  took  little  pains  to  conceal 
his  feelings.     He  afterward  remarked  to  his  friend,  Stilwell: 

"Deuced  pwetty  girl  that  Pwayeh  Bwossum  and  weally 
watheh  intewesting,  but  she  cawn'tplay  cards  for  pins;  weally 
she  cawn't."  Mr.  Stilwell,  who  suddenly  remembered  a  former 
conversation  on  the  same  subject,  remarked,  with  a  serious  air: 

"  Snicker,  laying  all  jest  9:Sid^,  is  it  true  that  coun.tiy  girls 
milk  cows?" 


432  AN    IliON    CIJOWX. 

"No,  it  isn't.  It's  a  downright  slander.  Say,  Gcawgc," 
he  added  confidentially,  "I  looked  at  her  hand  and  managed 
to  squeeze  it  a  little,  you  knaw,  when  we  shook  hands  " — 

"Of  course,  I  understand." 

"  And  it  is  as  soft  as  mine." 

"No?" 

"  Yaas,  fact." 

"  I  shouldn't  have  believed  it." 

"Yaas?" 

"Have  you  proposed  yet,  Snicker?" 

"  Now  weally,  Geawge,  I  think  that  is  abwupt  to  ask  a 
gentleman  such  a  question  so  abwuptly,  don't  you?" 

"  I  beg  your  pardon!     No  ofTense,  I  hope." 

"  I  don't  mind  telling  you,  though,  that  I'm  considewing  it. 
I'm  afwaid  the  Governor  would  kick  up  a  gwand  wow,  so  I've 
not  given  myself  away  yet." 

Wilson  found  Miss  Snicker  a  rather  poor  whist  paitner. 
She  kept  continually  asking  what  was  trumps,  and  invariablv 
played  a  king  when  an  opponent  held  the  ace.  But  she  played 
her  cards  much  better  in  securing  her  full  share  of  his  society. 
After  the  cards  she  still  clung  to  him  and  endeavored  to 
entertain  him  by  appealing  interested  in  what  she  imagined 
might  be  of  greatest  interest  to  him,  the  place  where  he 
made  his  money. 

"  Mr.  Wilson,"  siie  asked,  "did  you  see  any  of  those  dread- 
ful savages?" 

"  Which  savages,  Miss  Snicker?" 

"  Why,  the  Indians  to  be  sure." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  saw  Indians." 

"  What  do  you  think  is  the  most  noticeable  thing  about 
the  red  m;ui,  Mr.  Wilson?" 

"  Rags  and  dirt,"  was  the  laconic  reply,  at  which  Miss 
Snicker  elevated  slightly  the  end  of  her  little  pug  nose.  Had 
any  one  but  an  English  "me  lud,"  or  a  millionaire  made  the 
remark,  she  would  have  considered  it  inexcusably  vulgar.  As 
it  was,  she  was  not  offended  at  it  nor  at  the  millionaire,  though 
her  delicate  sensibility  had  received  an  unpleasant  shock 
through  the  disagreeable  association  of  ideas.  But  every 
sphere  of  life  has  its  painful  duties,  and  it  was  now  Miss  Har- 
rie's  duty  as  a  matter  of  courtesy  to  reply,  however  indelicate 
the  subject  might  be: 

"  Poor  creatures,  I  suppose  they  have  to  spend  all  their 
time  making  nice  things  for  other  people." 


AN    IRON    CUOWN.  433 

"  Yes,  they  do  devote  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  other 
people." 

"  I  suppose,  Mr.  Wilson,  you  have  ever  so  many  curios- 
ities that  you  bought  from  them.  I  should  like  some  as  bric- 
a-bric.  You'll  give  me  some,  pipes  and  things,  v^^on't  you?" 
she  added  softly,  with  a  languishing  look. 

"  I  should,  with  pleasure,  it  I  had  them.  Miss  Snicker. 
But  I  saw  nothing  of  the  sort  among  the  Indians  of  Colorado." 

"  Why,  don't  they  spend  nearly  all  their  time  making  such 
things?     I  thought  they  did.     The  Indians  at  the  Falls  do." 

"The  custom  differs  slightly  out  West." 

"Indeed!  and-d — oh,  what  was  I  going  to  say — yes,  I 
know.  It  must  be  delightful  driving  round  the  mountains, 
looking  for  gold.  Of  course  you  had  an  open  carriage,  so 
you  could  see  the  scenery  ?" 

Wilson  could  not  repress  a  look  of  astonishment,  then 
added  quietly : 

"  Yes,  our  carriage  was  very  open,  but  not  always  erectf 
and  sometimes  scarcely  dignified." 

It  was  now  Miss  Snicker's  turn  to  look  astonished,  as  she 
gazed  at  her  companion  in  helpless  bewilderment: 

"Not  erect!  not  dignified!  I  think  I  scarcely  follow  you, 
Mr.  Wilson.  You  mean  the  driver,  don't  you?"  He  pitied 
her  ignorance,  and  wished  to  spare  her  feelings,  half  ashamed 
of  what  he  had  done. 

"  I  mean,  Miss  Snicker,  that  we  i&alked.  You  see,"  he 
added  apologetically,  "there  are  no  roads  on  the  mountains." 

"Walked  over  all  those  horrid  mountains!  Why,  how 
could  you?  It  must  be  very  fatiguing.  There  must  be  a 
great  deal  of  exercise  connected  with  the  mining  business." 

"  Yes,  there  is  plenty  of  exercise.  As  much  I  think,  as  in 
any  business." 

"  Why  do  they  always  dig  mines  in  the  mountains? 
Couldn't  they  just  as  well  make  them  on  level  ground?  " 

"  People  have  to  dig  where  the  mineral  abounds.  Of 
course  there  have  been  some  exceptions  to  this  rule  in  the 
history  of  mining,  but  then  on  the  whole,  people  prefer  to 
dig  where  there  is  a  prospect  of  ore." 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  replied  Harrie,  as  if  struck  suddenly  by  an 
idea.  "  The  silver  and  gold  are  mostly  found  in  the  moun- 
tains, and  so  they  have  to  put  the  mines  there.  Why  didn't  I 
think  of  that  at  first?" 

"  Yes,  that's  the  idea." 

38 


434  ^N    IKOX    CROWN. 

"Miners  all  get  dreadfully  rich,  don't  they?"  As  Wilson 
thought  of  San  Juan  Shorty  and  some  of  the  other  old 
'•  ru-stlers,"  he  could  scarcely  avoid  laughing  aloud.  But  he 
politely  replied : 

"  Some  do,  many  do  not.    It  is  rather  a  hazardous  business." 
Suddenly,    Miss    Snicker,    having    a    curiosity    to     know 
whether  miners  understood   French,  ventured   the  remark,  as 
a  feeler,  that  she  thought  the  company  unusually  "  rechurchy." 
"Excuse  me,  Miss  .Snicker,  what  did  you  say?" 
"  Cette  compagnie  est  kummil  faw.      Naisy  paw?" 
'•  I  beg  pardon,  but  I  do  not  speak  French." 
"  Oh,  I  only  said  the  company  wa:-^  very  select.     Forgive 
me  for  speaking  French.     It  comes  so  natural." 

After  refreshments  were  served  the  little  company  re-ar- 
ranged itself  in  groups  for  miscellaneous  social  discourse.  The 
doings  of  society  were  duly  canvassed,  the  latest  books  dis- 
cussed by  some,  and  the  new  plays  criticised  by  others.  Miss 
*  Ingledee  had  been  studying  May,  while  the  latter  had  been 
doing  the  same  for  the  well-known  heiress.  Chetta  was 
resolved  to  learn  more  of  this  fair  stranger.  She  engaged 
May  in  conversation,  and  managed  to  draw  her  aside  into  a 
deep  window  where  they  were  alone.  She  hoped  to  be  able 
to  draw  out  this  simple  girl  and  get  her  to  disclose  some- 
thing of  her  acquaintance  with  Tom  Norwell.  She  had 
leason  to  believe  that  May  knew  very  little,  if  anything  of 
Tom's  intimate  acquaintance  with  herself,  and  at  last  she 
harbored  the  suspicion  that  perhaps  her  lover  was  engaged  in 
a  flirtation  with  this  girl.  Chetta  suspected  that  May  was 
trying  to  win  Norwell,  and  it  was  better  to  know,  if  possible, 
just  how  far  she  had  progressed.  Perhaps  she  could  trap 
Maj'  into  confiding  in  her.  It  was  a  plan  obviously  unfair, 
but  Chetta  saw  no  other  way,  and  fell  back  on  the  old  maxim, 
"All's  fair  in  love  and  war."  But  her  most  skillful  efibrts 
were  adroitly  frustrated.  They  talked  for  some  time  about 
the  Norwclls,  but  May  ^aid  a  great  deal  about  Alice,  and 
little  about  Tom.  In  reply  to  Chetta's  inquiries  if  they  had 
been  neighbors  in  Illinois,  May's  only  reply  was  that  they 
lived  a  mile  apart. 

Chetta,  stung  by  secret  jealousy,  resolved  to  learn  what 
she  wished  by  stratagem.  She  could  easily  see  that  this  girl 
was  somewhat  unsophisticated  in  the  ways  of  the  world,  and 
naturally  very  sensitive.  She  would  draw  her  out  in  some 
way  if  necessary,  by  alarming   her.     Chetta  found  it  easy  to 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  435 

excuse  what  to  others  seems  heartless.  In  self-defense,  she 
was  fighting  for  what  was  as  dear  to  her  as  life.  The 
enemy  who  invaded  her  domain  must  expect  to  be  pimished. 
Then,  if  'May  really  cared  nothing  for  Norwell,  no  harm 
would  be  done  by  this  cunning  but  keen  arrow.  Chetta 
adroitly  turned  the  conversation  toward  the  drama,  and  in- 
cidentally mentioned  the  tragedy  Francesca  da  Rimini,  then 
being  played  by  a  celebrated  actor.  The  plot  of  this  play 
hinges,  as  the  reader  doubtless  knows,  on  the  fact  that  a 
young  man  sent  to  bring  home  the  betrothed  of  his  brother, 
himself  falls  in  love  with  the  beautiful  girl.  The  enraged 
elder  brother  surprises  the  guilty  pair  in  a  tender  love  scene, 
and  kills  them  both  in  his  mad  fury.  May  had  not  seen  the 
play.  Her  interest  increased  as  Chetta  adroitly  wove  with 
the  thread  of  the  story,  her  scornful  condemnation  of  the 
traitor.  May  listened  with  breathless  interest  as  the  fatal 
denouement  was  reached.  "  Thus,"  said  Chetta,  in  a  voice 
which  trembled  with  passion,  "  died  this  base  traitor,  the 
basest  of  his  kind,  for  of  all  traitors  he  is  the  worst  who 
betrays  love.     He  deserved  to  die  like  a  dog." 

Though  there  was  small  love  between  the  fierce,  crooked 
elder  brother  and  his  beautiful  bride,  the  story  furnished  an 
excellent  text,  which  this  wily  commentator  had  determined 
to  enlarge  upon.  "  The  person  who  comes  between  two 
who  have  loved  long  and  truly,  is  a  base  thief.  No  good  can 
come  of  stolen  love.  The  meanest  ihief  is  he  who  steals 
affection." 

May  was  surprised  and  somewhat  startled  at  the  energy 
displayed  by  this  passionate  woman.  A  virtuous  indignation 
might  grow  denunciatory  on  such  a  theme,  but  here  was  a 
combative  energy,  which  indicated  a  deep  feeling  on  the  part 
of  the  impassioned  reciter  of  the  tragic  story.  May  grew 
very  pale  as  it  suddenly  flashed  upon  her  that  all  this  acting 
had  a  purpose.  She  saw  at  a  glance  with  her  keen,  womanly 
instinct  that  here  was  a  rival,  and  one  whose  resources 
far  outweighed  her  own.  She  shuddered  at  the  thought. 
Chetta  saw  the  impression  she  had  made  and  followed  it  up, 
after  a  moment's  pause,  by  asking  "What  do  you  think  of  the 
culmination  of  the  plot.  Miss  Br3'ce?" 

"  I  think  that  such  cases  seldom  occur.  True  love  never 
betrays  love.  Had  this  younger  brother  truly  loved  Fran- 
cesca he  would  have  gone  away  from  her  forever." 

This  answer  was  hardly  what   Chetta  expected.     It  puz- 


436  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

zled  her.  One  thing  was  plain,  the  two  women,  though  not 
open  rivals,  suspected  and  secretly  feared  each  other,  one  with 
the  angry  fear  that  feels  itself  wronged,  the  other  with  that 
haunting,  possessing  fear  that  is  conscious  of  weakness,  and 
dreads  a  superior  foe.  The  love  of  this  romantic,  inexperi- 
enced maiden  was  matched  in  a  conflict  for  life,  with  that  of 
this  aggressive,  war}-  city  belle,  aided  by  all  the  refined  arts 
of  a  high  culture  and  intimate  knowledge 'of  the  world.  For 
the  vanquished  there  could  be  only  misery. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 


SOME  OF  America's  great  financiers. — how  to  retire 

FROM    BUSINESS. 

A  long  time  has  elapsed  since  we  first  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  the  Honorable  Dave  Sawder.  That  eminent  states- 
man and  patriot  is  in  the  line  of  promotion.  Having  for 
several  years  gallantly  flung  his  banner  to  the  breeze  in  the 
very  teeth  of  the  demoralized  opposition,  and  charged  up  and 
down  the  halls  of  Congress  like  a  knight  of  old,  challeng- 
ing them  to  wordy  conflict,  the  Honorable  Dave  has  been 
advanced  by  a  grateful  public  to  a  seat  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States.  In  that  august  body  it  is  necessary  for  the 
Honorable  Dave  to  tone  down  a  few  of  his  more  telling  and 
dramatic  figures  of  rhetoric,  and  startling  devices  of  oratory 
which  so  well  become  the  House  of  Representatives  and  the 
stump.  He  is  now  laboring  to  combine  the  stalely  gravity  of 
a  Roman  father,  with  the  prosiness  which  is  the  most  con- 
spicuous characteristic  of  a  United  States  Senator  of  the  pres- 
ent decade.  His  old-time  fellow  laborer.  Senator  Sublet,  who 
joined  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  the  House  ring  to  push 
through  all  the  notorious  subsidy  schemes  of  Ophir,  Ingledee 
and  Company,  has  retired  permanently  from  politics  and  is 
now  free  to  follow  the  bent  of  his  abounding  piety.  This  arch 
hypocrite  was  openly  detected  attempting  to  bribe  a  member 
of  the  State  legislature,  before  which  he  was  a  candidate  for 
re-election  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  Sublet  disap- 
peared in  disgrace.  Though  the  American  people  have  un- 
bounded  admiration  for  a  great  thief,  they  have  no  sympathy 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  437 

for  the  man  who  is  too  clumsy  to  wriggle  out  of  a  corner  when 
caught.  Sawder  of  course  was  righteously  indignant  at  the 
culpability  of  Sublet,  and  denounced  (only  when  cornered  him- 
self) the  man  with  whom  he  had  joined  hand  in  hand  to 
promote  many  a  corrupt  job. 

Several  other  of  Sawder's  early  fiiends  have  disappeared 
from  public  view.  Among  them  was  Mr.  Oakesworth, 
whose  figure  was  once  a  prominent  one  around  Washington. 
Mr.  Oakesworth  was  well-known  among  the  Congressmen 
of  that  period.  They  had  good  reasons  for  knowing  him, 
for  he  carried  his  check  book  in  one  hand  and  in  the  other  a 
package  of  stocks  of  the  "  Construction  Credit  Company,"  a 
mysterious  concern  whicli  earned  fabulous  dividends.  He 
needed  no  other  introduction  to*a  member  of  that  Congress. 
But  Mr,  Oakesworth's  little  scheme  was  laid  bare  by  a  con- 
gressional investigating  committee,  and  that  gentleman  died 
of  a  broken  heart  at  the  attendant  disgrace.  Mr,  Sawdev  has 
been  ambitious  in  the  direction  of  the  Presidency.  But  the 
American  people  cling  to  the  notion  that  only  strict,  un- 
swerving, unpurchasable  honesty  should  be  elevated  to  that 
high  office,  while  the  Honorable  Dave  Sawder  and  his  friends 
claim  that  he  has  been  greatly  misunderstood,  abused,  and 
maligned. 

One  of  the  latest  achievements  attributed  to  the  Honorable 
Dave  Sawder  and  his  political  cronies,  was  to  secure  the  de- 
feat of  a  bill  by  the  provisions  of  which  the  Government  was 
authorized  to  construct  and  operate  a  telegraph  system  in 
conjunction  with  the  Postoffice  Department.  The  great 
National  Union  Telegraph  Company  had  grown  into  a  vam- 
pire whose  rapacity  was  insatiable.  Of  all  the  fat,  yet  ever 
hungry  monopolies  of  the  country,  this,  with  the  possible 
exception  of  the  Octopus  Oil  Company,  was  the  most  profit- 
able, and  consequently  the  most  greedy.  It  had  the  absolute 
control  of  all  the  news  of  the  country  which  it  withheld  and 
manipulated  at  will.  Its  profits  were  so  great  that  after  de- 
cliaring  a  liberal  dividend,  a  surplus  of  several  millions  had 
accumulated  which  was  divided  as  a  script  dividend.  By  this 
and  other  pretexts  £pv  the  issue  of  stock  the  great  National 
Union  had  watered  its  securities,  till,  by  a  careful  estimate, 
based  on  the  actual  value  of  their  plant,  the  stock  amounted 
to  at  least  three  timgs  the  actual  capital  invested.  A  dividend 
of  eight  per  cent,  on  their  nominal  capital  was  thus  a  divi- 
dend of  twenty-four  per  cent,  on  the  money  actually  invested. 


43S  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

A  business  man  is  usually  satisfied  with  a  reasonable  profit 
on  money  actually  invested.  Railroad  and  telegraph  lines 
double  or  treble  their  capital  (on  paper)  by  their  own  will, 
and  impudently  demand  that  the  public  shall  pay  an  interest 
on  this  pretended  capital  which  never  existed.* 

When  the  enterprising  Ophir  had  his  attention  directed  to 
the  National  Union  he  saw  at  a  glance  what  a  choice  plum  it 
was.  Immediately  his  mouth  watered  for  the  tempting  fruit, 
and  he  began  slily  to  shake  the  tree.  But  it  was  not  to  be 
had.  The  owners  thought  it  was  a  good  enough  thing  to 
keep.  Ophir  at  once  set  about  building  the  People's  Union 
as  an  opposition  line.  The  word  People's  had  a  peculiarly 
agreeable  sound  in  the  ears  of  the  masses.  Many  were  ver- 
dant enough  to  suppose  that  this  was  really  a  people's  line, 
just  because  its  projectors  said  so.  The  People's  Union  built 
thousands  of  miles  of  line  all  over  the  country  in  an  incredibly 
short  space  of  time.  The  infant  in  a  few  months  grew  so 
large  that  it  threatened  to  swallow  or  ruin  its  older  rival. 
The  result  may  be  told  in  three  short  sentences.  First,  there 
was  a  war  of  rates;  then  consolidation  of  the  two  companies, 
with  excessive  issue  of  watered  stock;  and  finally,  higher 
charges  without  competition.  Meantime  the  Honorable  Dave 
Sawder  &  Co.  took  care  to  see  that  the  people  of  the  United 
States  obtained   no  relief  through  a  postal  telegraph. 

Arthur  Wilson  had  been  looking  for  an  opportunity  to 
make  a  safe  and  favorable  investment  of  the  large  sum  of 
money  at  his  disposal.  The  People's  Union  was  said  to  ofTer 
unusual  inducement  to  investors.  Wilson  investigated  the 
matter  thoroughly.  He  was  naturally  cautious,  and  his  short 
experience  in  life  had  by  no  means  increased  his  faith  in  the 
integrity  of  most  men  who  manage  great  stock  companies. 
He  reasoned  that  few  men  could  be  honest  in  such  positions, 
because  the  great  momentum  of  corporate  influence  crushes 
the  voice  of  the  individual,  even  were  he  disposed  to  protest. 
Finally  he  had  a  private  interview  with  Ophir  himself.  That 
gentleman,  of  course,  recommended  the  People's  Union  as  a 
good  thing,  a  safe  thing.  As  the  stock  was  offered  considerably 
below  par  and  beyond  doubt  would  pay  handsome  dividends, 
Wilson  finally  concluded  to  take  a  large  block. 

Scarcely  had  the  consolidation  of  the  National  Union  and 
the    People's   telegraph  companies   been   effected,   when    the 

*Notc  14. — Profits  of  Corporations. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  439 

genius  of  this  remarkable  man  Ophir,  exhibited  a  new  and 
totally  unexpected  phase,  Ophir  certainly  deserves  his  repu- 
tation as  the  most  remarkable  money-maker  of  the  century. 
His  prolific  brain  teemed  with  new  expedients  to  hoodwink 
the  public,  baffle  his  rivals,  and  secure  his  own  triumph.  If 
the  genius  of  effrontery  deserves  to  be  commemorated,  then 
New  York  should  proclaim  Ophir  "divine,"  after  the  fashion 
of  the  Romans  of  old,  and  set  some  score  or  more  of  his 
brazen  statues  in  her  busiest  places. 

Ophir's  latest  stroke  of  policy  was  to  announce  that  he 
was  about  to  retire  from  business.  The  "Dail}'  Planet"  and 
the  "Censure"  which  he  controlled,  published  some  two 
pages  of  his  life  and  great  achievements,  concluding  with  the 
authoritative  statement  that  Mr.  John  Ophir,  weary  of  bus- 
iness cares,  and  satisfied  with  a  snug  fdrtune  of  one  hundred 
millions,  was  about  to  seek  the  quiet  of  private  life.  Ophir 
was.  yet  scarcely  fifty,  and  as  he  had  begun  life  in  a  very 
humble  business  capacity,  the  people  stooil  astounded  at  his 
phenomenal  success.  What  wonder  that  they  should  do  so  in 
a  nation  where  money  is  the  one  god  before  which  thou  shalt 
have  none  other,  where  it  is  at  once  the  god  of  business,  the 
god  of  pleasure,  and  the  household  lares! 

Ophii-'s  retirement  was  heralded  all  over  the  world.  The 
country  press  copied  the  articles  from  the  New  York  papers 
and  the  great  man's  name  jingled  continually  on  the  public 
tongue  for  a  time.  The  public,  with  its  customary  verdancy, 
took  him  at  his  word,  and  thought  that,  having  stolen  enough 
he  was  really  going  to  step  aside  and  give  the  other  fellows  a 
chance.  The  foreign  press  reprinted  the  article,  commented 
on  it  in  their  usual  hazy  fashion  where  American  affairs  are 
concerned,  and  finally  dropped  it.  They  were  unable  to 
figure  out  the  tremendous  problem  of  how  any  man  could 
begin  on  nothing  and  accumulate  one  hundred  millions  in 
twenty-five  years.  They  gave  it  up  in  despair.  Ophir's 
retirement,  which  had  seemed  premature,  was  simple  enough 
when  explained.  He  was  loaded  up  with  stocks.  He  fore- 
saw a  period  of  financial  depression,  and  was  willing  to  part 
with  his  stocks  at  high  prices  and  fill  up  his  vaults  with  cash. 
He  could  easily  buy  the  stocks  back  for  half  the  money  when 
the  crash  came.  His  quitting  business  was  an  advertisement, 
and  withal,  a  colossal  stroke  of  policy. 


CHAPTER    XLIV. 

IN  WITICir  MISS  INGI.EDEE  STARTLES  HER  RIVAL,  PROVOKES 
THE  WRATH  OF  HER  FATHER,  DARES  A  LOVER,  AND  BE- 
COMES AN  EXILE   FROM  HOME. 

Miss  Ingledee  had  enjoyed  but  a  doubtful  and  fleeting 
triumph,  on  the  occasion  of  her  conversation  with  May  Bryce 
at  Miss  Snicker's  party.  For  a  brief  time  she  imagined  that 
her  simple  rival  would  abandon  a  contest  where  the  odds 
were  so  greatly  against  her.  She  grew  indignant,  as  she 
thought  of  Miss  Bryce's  presumption,  and  though  she  knew 
it  was  unchristian,  thought  that  a  triumph  over  her  rival 
would  be  the  sweetest  revenge.  She  considered  it  an  act  of 
theft  on  May's  part,  taking  it  for  granted  that  the  girl  was 
making  most  of  the  advances  to  Norwell,  who  sought  the 
society  of  his  old  friend  as  before.  She  believed  him  incapable 
of  deliberate  duplicity.  After  the  repeated  hints  she  had  given 
May-  Bryce  concerning  her  own  acquaintance  with  Nor- 
well, she  considered  it  an  unpardonable  piece  of  presumption 
on  the  part  of  that  young  lady  to  continue  angling  after  him. 
Her  anger  rose  hotter,  the  more  she  thought  of  this  affair. 
She  had  been  instrumental  in  getting  May  into  the  best 
society,  and  this  was  the  result.  "  The  ungrateful  little  de- 
signing minx!  I'll  teach  her  a  lesson  she'll  not  forget  soon," 
was  her  angry  soliloquy.  Then  she  experiencetl  again  a 
moment's  triumph  as  she  thought  of  May's  pale  fiice  and 
frightened  aspect  when  the  awful  fate  of  Francesca  da 
Rimini  had  shadowed  forth  the  revenge  of  outraged  love. 
In  truth,  Ma}"-  Bryce,  unused  to  exciting  scenes,  and  thrown 
off  her  guard  by  the  suddenness  of  the  incident,  had  for  a 
moment  believed  Chetta  capable  of  wreaking  tlie  Italian's 
vengeance  where  there  was  only  an  imaginary  offense. 

But  later  thoughts  changed  all  this,  and  Chetta  was 
obliged  to  acknovv-lcdge  tliat  she  could  never  frighten  this 
woman  to  give  up  Norwell,  provided  he  offered  the  intruder 
any  encouragement.  Her  heart  sank  as  she  remembered  that 
he  was  bound   by  no  j^romise.     But  she  blamed  the  woman 

<44o) 


AN    IRON    CROWN,  44I 

who  was  trying  to  take  away  her  lover,  while  for  him  she 
had  only  excuses.  She  chafed  with  impatient  vexation,  and 
felt  no  little  genuine  dread  as  she  realized  that  she  had  a 
dangerous  rival.  Chetta  really  believed  that  she  had  been 
wronged,  and  now  conceived  May  Bryce  to  be  a  sly,  schem- 
ing rival,  whose  plot  it  would  be  onl}^  fair  to  defeat.  She 
resolved  on  an  active  campaign.  But  the  situation  involved 
so  many  difficulties  that  she  was  completely  at  a  loss  to  know 
what  to  do.  As  she  thought  again  of  Ma3''s  pale,  frightened 
face,  she  was  ashamed  of  the  cruel  shaft  concealed  in  the 
dramatic  recital  of  the  evening  before.  She  resolved  to  fight 
fair,  and  never  surrender. 

Tom  Norwell  would  at  once  suspect  some  motive  in  an}'- 
very  marked  change  of  her  relations  toward  him.  He  was 
too  indifferent  to  be  ui-ged.  If  she  could  only  bring  him  to  a 
declaration  all  would  be  \vcll.  Then  there  would  be  no  more 
jealousies,  no  more  flirting,  no  more  heart  burning.  Natu- 
rally inclined  to  break  away  from  conventional  restraints  and 
do  the  thing  which  she  knew  to  be  right  in  her  own  way. 
Miss  Ingledee  chafed  like  a  caged  wild  animal  at  the  artificial 
barriers  with  which  society  hedges  a  woman's  love.  Her 
impetuous  nature,  which  had  never  known  any  real  restraint, 
was  maddened  at  the  thought  of  now  being  thwarted  in  the 
one  object  of  life  for  which  all  others  should  give  way. 

"Why  must  I  wait  like  a  slave  in  the  market,  and 
patiently  endure  the  critical  examination  of  men,  till  someone 
deigns  to  bid  for  me?  Oh,  I  loathe  the  very  thought,  and  hate 
myself.  One  word  to  him,  and  all  would  be  plain.  I  should 
be  happy  for  life  or  know  the  worst  at  once,  and  end  this 
torturing  suspense.  Why  doesn't  he  speak?  Horace  Roker 
would — but  I  foirly  detest  that  man."  With  these  last  words 
she  gave  a  vicious  little  stamp  of  her  foot,  rose  and  paced  the 
floor  with  quick,  nervous  step.  Then  she  bathed  her  throb- 
bing temples  in  cold  water,  arranged  her  hair,  and  sat  down 
to  try  to  read.  Scarcely  had  she  done  so  when  there  was  a 
knock  at  her  door.  Recognizing  her  father's  step  she  called 
out,  "  Come  in." 

Mr.  Ingledee,  who  had  just  returned  to  the  city  that  day 
from  one  of  his  frequent  trips  looking  after  his  great  interests, 
was  in  no  very  good  humor.  .Silas  had  not  been  doing  well 
lately.  His  wild  extravagance  had  piled  up  a  mountain  of 
debt,  which  the  father  had  been  obliged  to  pay.  He  had 
drawn  so  heavily  on  the  parental  cash  of  late,  that  Mr.  Ingle- 


44^  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

dee  felt  sure  there  was  only  one  way  to  spend  so  much 
money  in  so  short  a  time,  and  that  was  by  gambling.  He 
had  elicited  some  important  facts  concerning  his  son  from 
Horace  Roker.  That  gentleman  made  the  revelations  only 
after  some  rather  mandatory  questioning,  cunningly  pretend- 
ing that  he  had  not  said  much  heretofore  out  of  delicacy,  in 
regard  to  the  private  and  domestic  affairs  of  his  employer. 
But  in  pursuance  of  his  policy  he  hatl  not  told  half,  and  had 
made  that  half  look  as  favorable  for  Silas  as  jDossible.  Lately 
Henry  Ingledee  had  shown  the  marks  of  care.  There  were 
tieep  lines  in  his  face  and  gray  hairs  appeared  thickly  among 
the  jet  black.  His  ample  millions  could  not  solace  his  old 
age,  while  their  baleful  influences  were  sending  an  idolized 
only  son  to  ruin,  if  not  to  infamy. 

"  Roker,"  he  had  said,  "  I  thank  you  for  your  kind  assist- 
ance in  this  matter.  T  appreciate  yt)ur  reluctance  to  speak  of 
it,  but  hereafter  be  plain.  Do  not  spare  my  feelings.  I  rely 
on  you.  Can  we  not  devise  some  means  of  saving  my  bov? 
He  is  more  to  me  than  all  else."  Here  tears  stole  into  the 
eyes  of  the  stricken  father.     He  could  say  no  more. 

'•  We  will  do  all  we  can,  sir,"  was  the  only  reply. 

At  the  close  of  the  day  on  which  this  conversation  oc- 
curred, Ingledee  came  to  speak  with  his  daughter.  This  girl 
had  always  been  true  to  him,  and  had  loved  him  as  a  dutiful, 
affectionate  child.  But  now,  after  returning  from  an  absence 
of  some  duration,  he  did  not  have  for  her  the  affectionate 
greeting  which  was  her  due.  He  was  a  disappointed  man, 
cross  and  vexed,  and  had  come  to  her  in  a  comphiining  mood 
rather  than  to  embrace  a  loving  child.  He  came  to  a  proud- 
spirited woman,  whose  temper  was  like  the  train  of  gun- 
powder ready  to  receive  a  spark.  The  sight  of  him  for  a 
moment  diverted  her  own  rebellious  thoughts.  She  was  glad 
to  see  him.  She  threw  her  arnis  about  him  and  kissed  him 
fondly. 

"  Papa,  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come.     Are  vou  well?" 

"Quite  well,  daughter.  A  little  tired,  perhaps."  She  saw 
at  a  second  glance  that  something  was  coming  and  instinct- 
ively shrank  away  a  little. 

"  Where  is  Silas?"  he  began. 

"  I  do  not  know,  papa.  1  have  not  seen  him  for  nearly  a 
week." 

"  A  very  affectionate  household  in  my  absence,  truly,"  he 
said  rather  petulantly. 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  443 

"  It  IS  just  what  it  always  has  been,  papa." 

"  I  am  not  satisfied  with  Silas's  conduct.  He  is  going 
wrong.     It  is  your  duty,  Chetta,  to  save  him." 

"  Papa,  tell  me  what  to  do  and  I  will  gladly  do  it.  I  have 
tried  everything  I  could  think  of,  but  I  have  failed.  He 
doesn't  seem  to  care  for  me  very  much."  Chetta  said  this 
with  a  touch  of  feeling  that  there  had  been  so  little  in  com- 
mon between  herself  and  her  brother. 

"  It  is  your  own  fault." 

"  How,  papa  ?  " 

"You  never  made  enough  of  him.     Go  with   him   more." 

"  He  never  invites  me." 

"  Then  do  as  I  have  before  suggested.  Have  more  com- 
pany here.  Perhaps  you  could  get  him  interested  in  your 
friends,  and  he  might  become  intimate  with  a  better  class  of 
young  men.  There's  Bullion,  Van  Brocken,  Brownell, 
Snicker,  and  the  rest  of  them.  Then  there  is  Arthur  Wilson, 
I  consider  him  a  most  excellent  and  sensible  young  man." 

"  These  young  men  all  have  an  acquaintance  with  our 
family.    If  they  do  not  choose  to  keep  it  up,  am  I  to  blame?" 

"  Perhaps  they  receive  little  encouragement.  There  is 
Wilson  for  instance.  He  is  certainly  a  desirable  acquisition 
to  society,  and  I  understand  he  has  made  a  fortune  in  mining." 

"  Papa,  is  it  your  wish  that  I  invite  money  to  this  house?" 
she  asked,  looking  him  directly  in  the  face. 

"  Money  moves  the  world,"  he  replied  evasively. 

"  Papa,  I  shall  not  invite  Mr.  Wilson  to  come  here." 

"  It  is  of  no  consequence  to  me  whether  you  do  or  not, 
but  I  should  like  to  ask  why  you  name  him  in  particular, 
Chetta?" 

"  The  money  that  has  come  here  has  not  been  fortunate. 
Look  at  Mr.  Norwell  and  Mr.  Garmand." 

"What  have  I  to  do  with  their  losses?"  he  asked,  with  a 
touch  of  anger. 

"  Perhaps  we  have  more  to  do  with  it  than  we  care  to 
admit.  Our  example  may  have  led  them  on.  Familiarity  is 
opportunity." 

"Do  yoH  think,"  he  said  with  painful  deliberation,  "that 
I  could  turn  the  sacred  offices  of  hospitality  to  so  base  a  pur- 
pose? Do  you  accuse  me  of  this?  I  am  ashamed  of  your 
unworthy  insinuation.     I  am  ashamed  of  my  child." 

"And  I  too  am  ashamed  of  myself,  and  my  race  and  l)lood. 
I   would   lose  my  life  if  that  could   wipe  out  the  stain.     It 


444  ^^'    IRON    CKOWX. 

wrings  my  heart  to  confess  it,  but  I  too  have  bkished  for 
shame  at  the  mention  of  my  fatlier's  name." 

She  stood  j^roudl}'  before  him,  with  a  fearless  look  of 
righteous  indignation.  This  iron  man,  who  never  quailed 
before  any  one,  stood  aghast  at  these  words  of  his  daughter. 
He  scarcely  comprehended  them.  The  blow  was  so  unex- 
pected that  it  stunned  him. 

"  Chetta,"  he  said  finally,  "3^ou  are  mistaken.  I  never 
wished  to  take  advantage  of  your  friends,  or  wished  you  to 
make  friends  that  I  might  use  them  to  my  advantage.  It 
shocks  me  inexpressibly  to  know  that  you  ever  entertained 
such  a  thought.  But  now  that  the  mistake  is  cleared  up, 
let  it  pass.     You  have  been  very  hasty.     Let  it  be  a  lesson." 

"  Papa,  I  have  not  been  hasty.  I  have  made  no  mistake.  It 
is  you  who  are — are — "  She  hesitated  as  if  the  hateful  words 
she  was  about  to  utter  would  choke  her.  With  an  effort  she 
went  on,  and  her  speech  grew  more  emphatic,  word  by  word  : 

"  You  know  well  that  you  have  deliberately  planned  to 
cheat  others  out  of  their  money.  You  dare  not  deny  it.  I 
would  rather  die  than  make  such  a  humiliating  accusation 
against  my  own  father,  but  you  know  I  speak  the  truth." 
Her  clear  convictions  of  the  wrongs  heaped  up  with  the 
family  wealth,  the  weight  of  secret  disgust  and  shame  which 
she  had  borne  for  years  as  it  grew  daily  heavier,  the  sup- 
pressed indignation  at  her  father's  deliberate  conspiracv,  all 
these  things  had  burst  forth  in  a  moment.  Her  love  of  right, 
and  conscientious  regard  for  truth,  were  fully  aroused.  She 
would  no  longer  encourage  dishonesty,  and  would  have 
spoken  had  the  rack  or  stake  stood  before  her.  For  a 
moment  Mr.  Ingledee  stood  in  speechless  astonishment,  then 
in  anger  he  hissed  out: 

"Traitor!     Where  did  you  learn  this?" 

"No  matter  where.  You  see  I  am  not  mistaken.  I  hate 
the  very  sight  of  money.  I  hate  the  name  of  money.  Every- 
thing it  touches  in  this  house  it  curses." 

"  Chetta,  are  you  mad  ?  " 

"  No,  I  am  not  mad.  It  is  you  who  are  mad  in  this 
insane  hunt  for  gold."  " 

"And  has  it  come  to  this?  Have  I  nurtured  a  viper  in 
my  bosom  to  turn  and  sting  me?" 

"A  viper!  I  am  not  ungrateful,  father.  I  love  you.  I 
hate  the  money  which  has  made  you  a  slave." 

"  You  have  betrayed  me." 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  445 

"  I  never  did,"  she  answered  proudly.  "  I  scorn  to  tell  a 
falsehood,  or  play  the  part  of  a  traitor.  I  am  not  ungrateful, 
but  1  tell  you  plainly,  I  should  rather  live  and  die  in  poverty 
than  revel  in  the  wealth  obtained  by  deception."  Mr.  Ingle- 
dee's  eyes  were  fixed  on  his  daughter  with  a  terrible  glare. 
Plis  fingers  twitched  nervously.  He  trembled  with  passion, 
but  strove  to  control  himself  He  hated  violence.  In  a 
moment  he  had  control  of  his  faculties,  and  said  in  a  stern, 
harsh  tone  which  indicated  the  iron  grip  of  a  will  that  would 
suppress  all  passion: 

"Enough!  As  you  say!  Go  and  live  in  poverty.  I'll 
shelter  no  traitor  under  my  roof."  Then  striving  to  appear 
indifferent  he  walked  from  the  room  and  sought  the  seclu- 
sion of  his  private  office.  A  great  crisis  had  been  reached  in 
his  life.  One  child  had  voluntarily  gone  to  ruin,  another  had 
dared  to  thwart  him,  and  accuse  him  of  dishonesty.  Had  he 
felt  absolutely  innocent  he  could  have  forgiven  her,  as  it  was, 
she  might  go  and  enjoy  the  poverty  she  spoke  of.  He  would 
suffer  no  human  being  to  interfere  with  his  plans,  he  would 
feed  no  traitor  at  his  table.  After  her  father  left  the  room, 
Chetta  Ingledee  paced  the  floor  for  a  few  moments  with  the 
nervous,  impatient  manner,  in  which  her  father's  visit  had 
almost  surprised  her.  She  was  laboring  under  a  tumult  of 
emotion  which  seemed  to  grow  as  she  tried  to  reason  it  away, 
and  think  coherently.  Suddenly  she  formed  a  decided  resolu- 
tion. She  went  to  a  little  rosewood  writing  desk,  and  taking 
out  paper  and  pen,  wrote  a  short  note.  Then  she  rang  for 
one  of  the  servants  and  told  the  man  to  see  that  the  note  was 
delivered  at  once.  It  was  very  brief,  containing  only  the  date 
and  the  following  line: 

"Mr.  Norwell: 

Can  you  call  for  a  few  minutes  about  half-past  eight  this  evening? 
I  wish  particularly  to  see  you. 

Chetta  Ingledee." 

Then  she  wrote,  in  a  rapid,  business-like  hand  that 
betrayed  little  of  the  excitement  under  which  she  had  so 
recently  labored,  two  other  notes,  which  she  addressed  and 
placed  in  a  little  drawer  of  the  desk. 

She  was  calmer  now,  and  again  tried  to  read  but  could  not 
fix  her  mind  on  the  book,  and  found  herself  repeating  line 
after  line  without  being  aware  of  a  single  thought  contained 
in  them.     She  called  a  servant  and  asked  if  Mr.  Insfledee  had 


446  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

(lined  yet.  On  receiving  an  affirmative  reply,  Chetta  gave 
her  toilet  a  few  little  touches,  and  vv^ent  down  to  the  fiimily 
dining  room.  There  she  asked  the  servant  to  bring  her  a  bit 
of  chicken  and  a  cup  of  tea.  These,  with  bread  and  butter, 
constituted  a  light  dinner  which  was  soon  dispatched. 

Having  learned  that  her  father  had  gone  out,  she  j^assed 
from  one  room  to  another,  looking  at  the  rich  furniture,  and 
the  beautiful  decorations.  She  lingered  for  a  moment  in  the 
"White  and  Gold  "  saloon  apparently  studying  beauties  which 
she  had  seen  a  thousand  times  before.  Then  she  passed  into 
the  little  parlor  where  her  mother's  portrait  hung.  Before 
this  she  paused  for  a  time  in  deep  reflection,  as  she  scanned 
the  saddened  lineaments  of  her  dead  parent.  A  calm  came 
over  the  features  of  the  living,  which  seemed  to  be  as  pro- 
found as  that  of  the  immobile  features  on  the  canvas.  She 
passed  up  the  broad  marble  stairway  to  her  apartments  on 
the  second  floor.  She  was  alone  in  the  great  house  excepting 
the  servants.  She  mused,  "  Will  he  speak  when  this  oppor- 
tunity is  offered,  which  will  be  the  last  he  may  ever  have?" 

Tom  Norwell  received  Chetta's  note  just  as  he  was  about 
to  start  to  call  on  May  Bryce.  He  had  promised  to  call  on 
her  and  spend  the  evening.  By  going  early  he,  could  fulfill 
his  engagement  and  afterward  call  in  answer  to  this  inexplic- 
able note  which  greatly  puzzled  him.  May  Bryce  too,  had 
passed  the  day  tormented  by  distressing  doubts.  Chetta 
Ingledee's  reference  to  the  fate  of  Francesca  da  Rimini  had, 
for  a  moment,  filled  her  with  terror,  and  she  had  shown  her 
fear  to  her  triumphant  rival.  She  no  longer  had  any  doubt 
that  Chetta  was  a  rival,  and  she  feared  the  superior  tactics  of 
this  world-wise,  passionate  woman.  vShe  realized  that  she 
herself  was  not  capable  of  any  stratagems,  or  finely  spun 
wiles  to  hold  her  lover.  She  could  rely  only  on — well,  she 
could  not  tell  what  had  won  him  at  first.  She  had  very  few 
weapons,  and  those  poor  ones,  she  thought,  while  her  antago- 
nist had  a  whole  arsenal.  It  was  true  that  Chetta's  ruse  to 
discover  May's  relations  to  Norwell,  in  itself,  amounted  to 
nothing.  It  was  a  historical  incident  which  could  have  no 
parallel  in  the  present  instance,  but  it  indicated  the  aggressive 
nature  of  the  foe.  May  never  for  a  moment  really  confessed 
to  herself  that  she  doubted  Norwell,  but  she  was  obliged  to 
confess  that  she  greatly  feared  Chetta  Ingledee. 

Norwell  came  and  spent  half  an  hour  with  his  Prairie 
Flower,  as  he  still  persisted  in  calling  her,  despite  her  protes- 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  447 

tations  that  it  was  very  foolish.  At  length,  he  suddenly  an- 
nounced th.^it  he  was  obliged  to  take  his  leave. 

"  Why,  Tom,  I  thought  you  were  to  spend  the  evening 
here,"  she  exclaimed,  in  surprise. 

"  So  I  was,  but  I  have  been  unexpectedly  called  away  on 
business." 

"  Tom,  Alice  says  you  gentlemen  sometimes  make  busi- 
ness an  excuse  when  you  wish  to  go  to  the  club  or  somewhere 
else  and  have  your  fun  all  to  yourselves." 

"Alice  sometimes  talks  nonsense." 

"  Do  I  bore  you,  dear?" 

"  No,  certainly  not,  little  girl.  What  ever  put  that  into 
your  head?" 

"  Then  why  don't  you  stay  awhile  longer?  Arthur  and 
Alice  will  be  back  soon." 

"  But  I  say  I  have  been  called  away  unexpectedly.  Surely 
you  will  believe  me." 

"Yes,  Tom,  I  believe  you.  Would  you  mind  telling  me 
where  you  are  going?" 

"  I  can't  do  that,  May."  He  was  not  exactly  at  ease,  and 
she  saw  it. 

"  Sometime,"  he  continued,  by  way  of  putting  her  off,  "we 
shall  not  have  any  secrets,  you  know,  but  this  time  I  cannot 
tell  you."     He  left  abruptly. 

May  sat  in  thought.  Had  she  known  his  errand,  it  would 
have  broken  her  heart.  She  had  heard  that  true  love  never 
ran  smooth.  Hers  had  run  for  one  summer  in  a  broad,  deep 
current  without  a  ripple.  Now  it  was  breaking  into  the 
plunging  rapids  which  apparently  led  only  to  jagged  rocks, 
seething  whirlpools,  and  perhaps  dark  disaster.  A  sudden 
revulsion  of  feeling  came  over  her.  For  a  moment  it  seemed 
as  if  all  light  had  gone  out  of  the  world.  She  wished  she 
had  never  seen  New  York,  or  mingled  in  its  elegant  society. 
She  almost  wished  she  had  never  met  Tom  Norwell.  But 
that  thought  she  instantly  repented  of,  for  then  slie  would 
never  have  known  that  sweetest  of  all  pleasures,  first  love,  for 
her  the  only  love  possible.  Alice  and  Arthur  returned  pres- 
ently, and  by  their  cheerful  conversation  and  sunny  mood  soon 
restored  her  to  good  humor.  In  their  love  there  were  no 
doubts,  no  secrets,  no  anxieties,  no  raptures.  It  was  a  power- 
ful current  that  flowed  the  same  every  day.  It  had  its  eddies, 
and  occasionally  a  ripple,  but  these  only  showed  that  it  was 
an  active,  progressive  principle. 


44^  ^^-"^    IKON    CROWN. 

Norwcll  went  directly  to  the  Ingledec  residence,  and  was 
shown  into  the  parlor. 

"  I  sent  for  you,  Tom,"  Chetta  began. 

"  Yes,  I  got  your  note." 

"  You  are  an  old  friend,  you  know." 

"  Of  course,  and  I  am  always  at  your  service." 

She  drew  one  of  the  luxurious,  velvet-cushioned  easy  chairs 
for  him,  and  another  facing  it,  for  herself.  Then  for  a  few 
minutes  they  engaged  in  conversation  on  commonplace  sub- 
jects. She  hardly  knew  how  to  begin,  and  several  times 
abandoned  entirely  the  project  she  had  in  mind,  only  to  return 
to  it.  He  saw  she  was  not  at  ease,  and  waited  for  her  to 
begin.     At  last,  drawing  nearer,  she  said: 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  events  have  transpired  lately,  which  will 
make  great  changes  in  my  future." 

"Yes?"  he  answered,  with  curiosity  aroused. 

"  I  shall  go  South  for  a  time." 

"  I  wish  I  could  go,  too,  during  these  disagreeable  winter 
months." 

"Why  not?"  she  asked,  banteringly,  as  she  looked  him 
full  in  the  face. 

He  could  only  interpret  her  question  literally,  and  replied: 

"  Too  expensive." 

"  I  shall  go  in  a  very  plain  way."  Then,  lest  Tom  should 
wonder  at  that,  she  added,  "Papa  wishes  it  so." 

"  Isn't  this  unexpected?"  She  had  never  gone  off  alone 
in  this  way,  and  he  wondered  at  it  since  her  fother  or  brother 
were  not  to  accompany  her. 

"  It  was  all  arranged  to-day.  As  my  first  and,  I  trust, 
best  friend,  I  wished  you  to  know  it  at  once."  He  was 
jiuzzled  no  little,  but  said  nothing. 

"  Tom,  I  have  often  thought  of  our  friendship.  It  has 
been  so  close  that  you  scarcely  seem  like  any  other  friend  to 
me."  A  slight  color  tinged  her  cheek,  but  he  gave  no  sign  of 
having  noticed  it. 

"  Miss  Ingledce  "  (she  had  called  him  Tom,  and  he  would 
take  no  notice  of  that),  "I  can  never  thank  you  sufficiently  for 
all  that  you  have  done  for  me.  You  have  aided  me  when  no 
others  could.     I  can  never  repay  you,  I  fear." 

"  Gratitude  pays  the  debts  of  friendship.  Other  debts 
should  be  paid  in  kind."  She  was  thinking  of  the  debt  of 
love,  and  now  his  thoughts  were  with  hers.  He  felt  guilty 
and  embarrassed.  He  did  not  know  what  answer  to  make,  so 
said  nothing.     After  a  moment's  pause,  she  added: 


AN    IRON    CIIOWN.  449 

"Do  you  think  I  could  do  otlicrwise  than  assist  you?  I 
shall  always  do  so  if  the  future  leaves  it  in  my  power." 

"  I  shall  never  forget  your  kindness,  Miss  Ingledee." 

And  was  this  all  his  answer?  Now  when  she  had  told 
him  she  was  about  to  leave,  and  hinted  that  it  might  make  a 
great  difference  in  their  future,  he  sat  impassioned  as  a  stone, 
and  talked  of  gratitude.  Was  he  putting  her  off  purposely, 
or  was  it  downright  stupidity?  She  was  annoyed,  but  deter- 
mined to  give  him  a  last  chance  to  speak.  But  he  was  not 
the  dolt  his  conduct  might  have  indicated.  He  saw  her  pur- 
pose clearly  now.  He  saw  his  own  terrible  mistake  in  neg- 
lecting this  woman  whom  he  had  once  loved.  It  was  now 
too  late;  he  had  pledged  his  affections  elsewheie,  and  would 
loyally  conceal  his  disappointment  and  marry  the  woman  he 
had  jDromised.  Here  was  the  long-expected  crisis.  She  was 
going  away,  and  he  must  now  give  her  to  understand  that 
nothing  but  friendship  could  henceforth  exist  between  them. 
To  have  announced  his  engagement  then  and  there  would 
have  settled  the  matter  forever.  But  it  would  also  have  ex- 
posed his  weak  trifling,  so  he  could  not  summon  courage  to 
do  the  only  manly  thing  to  be  done. 

"Papa  has  always  thought  a  great  deal  of  you." 

"  I  know  it,  and  shall  not  forget  it.'' 

"  It  is  hard  for  old  friends  to  part.  I  shall  be  absent  a 
long  time,  I  think." 

"It  is  hard.  But  such  things  must  occur.  Chetta,  we 
have  been  good  friends  all  our  lives.  But  we  could  not  be 
friends  always.  Sometime  the  best  of  friends  must  part. 
They  cannot  be  together  forever,  neither  can  we.  No,  that 
is  impossible."  He  looked  her  full  in  the  face,  and  slowly 
repeated :  "  That  is  impossible."  Then  he  took  her  hand, 
and,  holding  it  a  moment,  said  very  kindly:  "  I  wish  you  a 
very  pleasant  journey.     Good-bye." 

"  Good-bye,"  she  replied,  and  he  was  gone. 

She  saw  now  that  he  understood  her,  and  that  he  had 
loved  her.  But  what  was  the  meaning  of  the  word  impos- 
sible? She  could  not  believe  that  he  was  promised  to  that 
other  woman,  while  he  had  still  kept  in  correspondence  with 
her.  It  must  be  that  he  would  not  marry  her  because  he  was 
poor.  Then  it  suddenly  flashed  across  her  mind  that  in  the 
step  she  was  about  to  take  she  herself  would  be  poor.  Some- 
time maybe  they  might  meet  again  on  equal  terms,  and  still 
be  happy.     Still  hope  lingered  in  her  heart. 


450  A\    IKON    CROWN. 

It  was  not  yet  nine  o'clock.  By  taking  a  hack,  she  coiikl 
reach  Pipe  Malley  &  Co.'s  store  before  they  closed.  Passing 
out  at  a  side  door,  she  gained  the  street,  hailed  a  hackman, 
and  was  soon  down  town,  amid  the  dirty  streets  of  that  vi- 
cinity.    She  alighted,  and  entered  the  store  at  once. 

The  twins,  since  we  first  made  their  acquaintance,  have 
grown  from  boys  to  great  strapping  youths.  Pipe  is  now 
neatly  attired  in  a  business  suit,  as  becomes  the  proprietor  of 
a  flourishing  retail  shop.  He  even  wears  a  watch  and  stylish 
gold-plate  chain.  Quill  is  still  engaged  in  the  business  of 
wearing  out  his  brother's  old  clothes.  As  the  boy  rapidly 
increases  in  length,  while  the  pantaloons,  through  an  obvious 
defect  in  nature's  machinery  do  not,  it  is  with  difficulty  that 
Quill  persuades  his  socks  and  the  legs  of  his  pantaloons  to 
meet  on  friendly  terms.  On  the  present  occasion  Pipe  look- 
ing through  the  door  and  seeing  a  hack  drive  up,  called  out 
quickly: 

"  Quill,  there's  a  lady  comin'.  Let  up  on  them  figs." 
Pipe  had  managed  to  find  time  to  attend  a  night  school  a 
good  deal  and  had  really  laid  in  a  considerable  store  of  knowl- 
edge, but  unfortunately  his  ideas  of  grammar  were  pin"ely 
theoretical,  like  those  of  most  people  whose  study  of  the 
anatomy  of  English  speech  is  confined  to  rattling  the  dry 
bones  of  its  skeleton  once  per  day  for  a  fixed  period,  after 
which  the  skeleton  is  relegated,  not  to  the  closet  along  with 
the  family  skeleton,  but  to  the  next  class  in  anatomy.  Gram- 
mar apparently  is  not  an  applied  science. 

"  Good-evening,  Miss  Ingledec."  said  Pipe,  as  he  met  his 
teacher  at  the  door.     "  We're  awful  glad  to  see  you." 

"Good-evening,  Pipe," 

"Quill,  why  don't  you  come  out  from  behind  the  counter 
and  speak  to  Miss  Inglcdee?" 

Quill,  whose  natural  bashfulness  always  kept  him  in  the 
background,  now  hastily  pulled  up  his  hose  to  a  junction  with 
his  pantaloons  and  came  forward  to  speak  to  Chetta.  His  hands 
and  face  were,  as  regards  cleanliness,  greatly  in  advance  of 
their  former  condition,  though  Pipe  had  remarked  during  the 
evening  while  in  a  surly,  mood  that  they  were  hardly  pass- 
able, and  to  an  observer  it  might  seem  as  if  the  criticism  had 
a  basis  of  truth.  By  dint  of  untiring  cfTort,  however.  Pipe 
had  succeeded  at  length  in  teaching  Quill  that  it  was  not  the 
proper  thing  to  wipe  his  mouth  with  the  back  of  his  hand. 
Quill   was  still  on  salary,  and  had  a  glimmering  prospect  of 


AN    IRON    CKOWN.  45 1 

being  a  partner  when  he  had  advanced  a  little  further  along 
the  road  to  cleanliness,  industry  and  financial  responsibility. 
Pipe  rigidly  insisted  that  Quill  must  "brace  up"  and  be  some- 
body.    "  He  would  have  no  slouch  of  a  partner." 

"Quill,  how  are  you  getting  along  learning  the  business?" 
asked  Chctta. 

"  Good  enough,  I  guess,"  he  answered  sheepishly,  as  he 
glanced  furtively  toward  his  shabby  and  insufficient  clothing. 
At  Sunday  school  a  goodly  portion  of  his  person  was 
concealed  by  the  seat  in  front  of  him.  Now  he  was  sure 
that  she  saw  the  deficiencies  in  his  make-up.  He  would 
have  given  all  he  was  worth,  which  was  very  little,  indeed,  to 
be  dressed  up  like  Pipe  in  a  new  suit.  But  that  was  only  for 
"his  betters,"  he  supposed,  as  Pipe  had  once  taken  the  pains 
to  inform  him  in  a  hasty  moment  when  the  twins  were 
exchanging  some  of  those  delicate  compliments  that  fond 
relatives  sometimes  lavish  on  one  another  in  private.  Quill 
stood  there  plainly  before  her  and  blushed.  Pipe,  in  calling 
him  from  behind  the  counter,  had  cruelly  though  uninten- 
tionally exposed  him.  The  visitor,  however,  apparently 
noticed  neither  his  clothes  nor  his  embarrasment.  He  knew 
that  she  saw  both  and  was  grateful  to  her  for  turning  to  look 
at  some  fruit. 

"  Quill,  remember  what  I  said  about  helping  you.  When 
you  have  done  your  part  I  will  do  mine.  Pipe,  I  came  to 
ask  a  favor  of  you." 

"  Pll  do  it  with  pleasure.  Miss  Ingledee." 
"  I  shall  not   be  at   the  Mission  School    next  Sunday.     1 
expect  to  be  out  of  the  city.     Please  give  this  note   to   Mr. 
Hardin,   the    superintendent,  and   he   will   find   you    another 
teacher.     Try  to  be  as  good  to  her  as  you  have  been  to  me." 
"An'  ain't  you  comin'  back  at  all?" 
"  Not  for  a  good  while.  Pipe." 
"  I  tell  you  Pm  dreadful  sorry  you're  goin'." 
*' You'll  find  another  teacher  as  good,  I  think." 
"  Don't  want  another  as  good.      We  want  you." 
"Since  you   can't   have  me,  try  to  help  the   new  one,  will 
you?" 

"  I'll  see  that  the  fellers  behaves,"  confidently  answered 
Pipe.  The  class  had  grown  during  the  years  of  Miss  Ingle- 
dee's  teaching  till  the  boys  who  at  first  were,  in  their  own 
slang  dialect,  "  kids,"  had  now  progressed  to  the  adolescent 
condition  of  "fellers,"  the  twins  being  among  the  oldest,  and 


452  AN    IRON'    CUOWN. 

Pipe,  by  virtue  of  his  position  as  a  business  man,  a  leader 
among  them. 

"  That's  right,  Pipe.     Thank  you." 

"Are  you  goin'  fur?" 

"I  am  going  away,"  said  Chetta  evasively.  "Maybe 
gone  for  a  long  time." 

"  Lcmmc  put  up  some  oranges  fur  you  in  a  paper. 
They're  awful  nice.  Best  sweet  Floridas.  They'll  keep." 
He  tossed  half  a  dozen  into  a  paper  sack.  "  They'll  be  poorty 
nice  in  the  cars  when  it's  dusty." 

She  took  them,  and  a  tear  stole  down  her  cheek.  These 
street  waifs  that  under  her  care  had  slowly  been  growing 
into  a  better  manhood,  seemed  after  all,  her  best  friends. 
She  rejoiced  that  she  had  done  such  a  work.  Life  for  her 
had  not  been  all  in  vain.  It  was  doubtful  if  all  her  father's 
millions  had  ever  done  so  good  a  deed.  She  longed  to  tell 
these  boj's  that  she  was  going  away  and  never  expected  to 
see  them  again,  but  that  might  defeat  her  plans.  Hastily 
thanking  Pipe  for  the  fruit,  she  shook  hands  with  them  both 
and  merely  saying,  "  Good-bye.  Be  good  to  your  new 
teacher,"  was  gone. 

Chetta  drove  directly  home,  and  telling  the  hackman  to 
call  for  her  again  at  twelve,  went  to  her  room.  She  spent 
the  intervening  hour  packing  in  a  large  valise  her  most  useful 
articles  of  clothing.  Her  expensive  jewelry  she  would  not 
touch,  but  took  a  few  articles  of  lesser  value.  At  twelve 
o'clock  she  left  the  house  noiselessly  by  a  side  door,  drove  to 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  ferry,  and  took  a  train  for  Phil- 
adelphia. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

MR.  ROKER  STARTLES  CERTAIN  FOLKS  GREATLY  BY  HIS 
THEORY  OF  AN  ELOPEMENT. — HE  PAYS  A  VISIT  TO 
MAY    BRYCE. DEATH    OF    SILAS    INGLEDEE. 

Next  morning  Mr.  Ingledee  sat  down  to  his  breakfast  at 
the  usual  hour.  He  unfolded  his  paper  and  sipped  his  coffee 
as  he  read  the  news.  He  still  showed  traces  of  the  anger 
which  had  burst  forth  the  day  before.       This   was  not  dis- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  453 

played  in  snappish  remarks  to  the  servants.  Henry  Ingledee 
was  a  man  who  cared  but  Httle  for  the  petty  things  of  life. 
He  never  grumbled  over  the  minor  details  of  his  household 
or  found  fault  if  his  toast  was  not  browned  to  the  precise 
shade.  He  was  above  such  contemptible  conduct  as  habitual 
grumbling.  But  care  was  beginning  to  show  traces  of  her 
constant  presence  with  him  now.  This  morning  his  face 
looked  unusually  grave.  He  dispatched  his  breakfast  in 
silence,  occasionally  looking  toward  the  door.  He  expected 
his  daughter.  In  truth,  ISIr.  Ingledee  regretted  the  scene  of 
the  evening  before,  though  he  still  argued  to  himself  the 
necessity  of  rebuking  the  utterances  of  his  child.  In  all  else 
she  had  been  a  dutiful  daughter,  but  on  this  one  point  he 
w^ould  have  no  disloyalty,  or,  at  least,  interference.  He  could 
allow  no  aspersions  on  his  business  or  his  motives.  He 
thought  this  a  severe  rebuke  which  would  doubtless  render 
any  further  admonitions  of  the  same  kind  unnecessary.  Still 
Chetta  did  not  come,  and  Mr.  Ingledee  was  quite  through 
with  his  breakfast.  He  told  a  servant  to  go  and  call  Miss 
Ingledee. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  girl  returned,  saying  that  her  knock 
had  received  no  answer.  He  sent  her  to  knock  again  and 
open  the  door  if  it  were  not  locked.  Immediately  the  girl 
returned,  saying  that  Miss  Ingledee  had  not  spent  the  night 
in  her  room.  She  handed  the  master  two  letters,  one  directed 
to  himself  and  the  other  to  Silas.  Instantly  he  had  a  pre- 
science of  what  had  occurred.  He  hastily  tore  open  the  note 
and  read: 

"Dear  Papa: 

I  am  going  away  forever.  Do  not  think  too  hard  of  me.  I  would 
have  given  anything  to  spare  you  tlie  pain  I  caused  you.  But  the  duty  to 
right  and  to  God  is  above  all  others.  I  cannot  think  differently  about 
vour  business  and  your  money.  Forgive  me  lor  saying  so.  I  love  you 
dearly,  and  shall  never  forget  that  you  are  my  father,  but  we  cov^ld  not 
be  happy  together  now. 

So  good-bye. 

Chetta." 

Mr.  Ingledee  read  the  note  through  deliberately,  and  then 
calling  the  servant,  told  her  to  take  Mi'.  Silas's  note,  and  see  if 
he  was  in.  If  he  was,  ask  him  to  come  down  at  once.  Mr. 
Silas  happened  to  be  in  and  in  bed.  Taking  the  note  froin 
the  servant,  he  opened  it  and  received  a  very  great  surprise 
from  its  contents.     It  read  as  follows: 


454 


AX    IRON    CROWN. 


"  Dear  Brother: 

Papa  and  I  have  had  a  quarrel.  I  can  stay  here  no  longer.  It 
would  be  misery  for  both.  I  am  very  sorry  to  leave  you  forever.  Please 
do,  for  my  sake,  try  lo  be  a  better  bov.  Papa  can  easily  spare  me,  but  if 
anyihin<;  >h(;uld  happen  you  I  think  it  would  kill  him.  Will  you  try.' 
Please  forgive  the  faidts  of  your  sister,  and  try  to  remember  her  kindly, 
(iood-bye,  dear  boy. 

Your  Loving  Sister, 

Chetta." 

With  his  toilet  hi  a  very  incomplete  .state,  Silas  hastened 
down  to  his  father's  private  office. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this?"  he  asked  excitedlv. 

In  reply,  Mr.  Ingledee  handed  Silas  the  note  addressed  to 
the  father,  while  he  took  tiie  one  addressed  to  his  son.  After 
perusing  the  note,  Silas  said: 

«  But  I  don't  understand  it  at  all." 

«  It  is  soon  made  plain.  Your  sister  chose  to  impugn  my 
business  motives,  and  I  reproved  her  rather  severely.  She 
has  not  taken  it  kindly,  that  is  all." 

"  But  what  did  you  say  to  her,  father?"  persisted  Silas. 

"  I  shall  idlow  no  child  who  eats  my  bread,  to  say  it  was 
obtained  dishonestly.  I  think  I  told  her  I  should  harbor  no 
traitor." 

"  Don't  you  think  that  was  a  little  rough  on  Chet?  You 
know  she's  full  of  mettle." 

"  She  must  learn  duty  and  obedience." 

"Hang  it  all,  what's  the  use  of  paying  any  attention  to 
the  thoughtless  words  of  a  girl?" 

"  They  were  not  thoughtless  words.  They  were  very  de- 
liberate, on  tlie  contrary." 

"Well,  suppose  they  were.  It's  a  woman's  way  to  talk. 
You've  been  too  severe  on  her.  Suppose  she  did  say  that 
stock  operations  are  not  always  straight.  Don't  we  know  it 
to  be  a  fact?     And  doesn't  the  public  know  it?" 

"What!  Are  you  going  to  harp  the  same  tune?  Be- 
w:ire!  I  tell  you  1  will  not  have  it."  But  the  young  man 
was  by  no  means  intimidated  by  the  threat.  In  coolness  and 
specious  insinuating  logic  he  was  fully  the  equal  of  his  father, 
while  his  knowledge  of  the  world  was  a  valuable  auxiliary 
just  now. 

"Now,  father,"  he  said  deprecatingly,  "  do  not  misunder- 
stand me.  I  am  only  saying  what  we  know  about  our  busi- 
ness. I'm  not  harping  it  to  the  world,  and  I'm  not  going  back 
on  the  business.     But  facts  are  facts,  just  the  same.     Now  if 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  455 

you  will  allow  me  to  express  my   plain   opinion  of  this  busi- 
ness I  say  that  I  think  you  have  made  a  deuce  of  a  bad  break," 

"  I  have  simply  do:ie  nothing,  sir." 

"  Chet  hasn't  deserved  this,"  said  Silas,  paying  no  atten- 
tion to  the  interruption.  "If  you  had- given  me  such  a  scor- 
ing there  would  have  been  more  propriety  in  it — at  least  every- 
body thinks  so,  and  I  know  my  feelings  could  stand  it,  and 
hers  couldn't." 

"  If  she  had  come  to  me  and  asked  to  go  away  for  a  year 
I  should  have  made  an  ample  provision.  She  is  wilful  and 
ungrateful." 

"  She  would  beg  before  she  would  ask  for  a  thing  in  that 
way." 

"  Well,  now  that  it  is  over,  there's  no  use  discussing  the 
subject  further,"  said  Mr.  Ingledee,  trying  to  dismiss  the  mat- 
ter summarily.  In  truth  he  felt  that  he  was  in  the  wrong 
partly  at  least,  but  he  would  not  openly  admit  it  just  yet. 

"  But  it  isn't  over,  father.  We  must  get  Chetta  back,  and 
that  will  perhaps  be  no  easy  matter." 

"  She  left  of  her  own  accord.  She  may  come  back  the 
same  way.     I  will  have  nothing  further  to  do  with  the  affliir." 

"  Now,  father,  you  are  unreasonable.  We  must  get  her 
back.  I  shall  have  all  the  cletectives  in  the  country  engaged 
before  I'll  give  up  the  case." 

"  Do  as  you  please,  Silas,  but  do  it  in  your  own  name.  I'll 
pay  the  bills  if  they  are  reasonable,  but  that  is  all."  For  the 
sake  of  the  family  name  Mr.  Ingledee  was  willing  to  do  so 
much. 

He  drove  down  town  to  the  office  and  called  Roker  in  at 
once.  The  two  had  a  private  interview  of  considerable  length. 
Roker  was  greatly  puzzled  and  considerably  disconcerted  at 
the  disappearance  of  the  young  lady.  Lately  he  flattered 
himself  that  he  was  progressing  in  his  own  suit,  almost  im- 
perceptibly he  knew,  and  more  by  the  lever  of  intimacy 
than  through  any  evidences  she  gave  of  caring  for  this  frigid 
gentleman  who  kept  his  society  manners  continually  on  ice. 
Mr.  Ingledee  was  not  very  explicit  in  revealing  the  details  of 
the  scene  between  himself  and  his  daughter.  So  far  as  Roker 
heard  them,  he  thought  they  were  not  sufficient  cause  for  the 
flight.  Then  Roker  hinted  at  an  elopement  with  Tom  Nor- 
well.  This  greatly  surprised  Mr.  Ingledee.  He  knew  in  his 
heart  that  his  daughter  had  ample  cause  in  his  words  for  leav- 
ing her  home.      But  he  was  surprised   at   Roker's  suggestion 


456  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

of  elopement,  and  thouglit  the  anger  exhibited  by  that  gen- 
tleman highly  commendable  in  a  friend  of  the  family.  Roker 
was  unsparing  in  his  denunciation,  and  said  hard  things  of 
Norwell  in  his  rage.  Ingledee  finally  reminded  him  that  this 
idea  was  at  best  only  a  surmise.  He  was  unwilling  to  believe 
this  of  Norwell,  who  was  in  the  main  an  excellent  young  man, 
he  thought.  Roker,  however,  convinced  Mr.  Ingledee  iinally 
that  it  was  best  to  take  active  measures  for  recovering  the 
fugitive. 

On  the  day  following  Chetta  Ingledee's  flight,  Tom  Nor- 
well called  at  the  quiet  boarding-house  where  his  sister  and 
May  Bryce  lived.  His  call  was  verj'  brief.  He  had  come  to 
tell  them  that  business  would  take  him  from  the  city  for  a  few 
days,  as  he  intended  going  to  Pennsylvania.  With  these  few 
words  of  explanation,  he  left  the  vvomen,  who  thought  there 
was  nothing  strange  about  the  matter. 

On  the  same  evening  Mr.  Horace  Roker  called  and  inquired 
for  Miss  Bryce.  He  had  a  speaking  acquaintance  with  both 
of  the  young  ladies,  but  scarcely  a  calling  acquaintance.  How- 
ever, May  thought  little  of  this,  having  been  brought  up  where 
the  formalities  of  etiquette  were  often  ignored.  Horace  Roker 
never  affected  to  play  the  smiling,  bowing,  facile  beau  who 
is  always  happy  in  the  society  of  ladies,  regardless  of  time  or 
circumstance.  He  never  could  have  played  that  role  if  he 
had  chosen.  His  was  not  a  face  that  smiles  adorned,  and  his 
smirk  would  have  been  a  hideous  thing.  Faultless  dress  and 
extreme  gentility  were  his  strong  points  with  the  fair  sex. 

He  chatted  pleasantly  for  some  time  with  Miss  Bryce, 
talked  about  her  country  home,  asked  her  how  she  liked  the 
city,  mentioned  society  events  casually,  and  on  the  whole, 
greatly  entertained  her.  Then  he  remarked  that  he  must  be 
going  soon.  He  wished  to  drop  in  at  the  Argosy  Club,  hop- 
ing to  meet  Mr.  Norwell.  May  now  informed  him  that  his 
visit  would  be  fruitless,  as  Mr.  Norwell  had  left  town  for  a 
few  days.  This  was  a  startling  corroboration  of  Roker's  elope- 
ment theory,  but  he  exhibited  no  surprise  on  receiving  the  im- 
portant news.  Thanking  her  for  the  information,  Roker  still 
seemed  in  no  hurry  to  go,  but  continued  the  conversation 
until  he  artfully  obtained  a  confirmation  of  his  surmise  tliat  May 
knew  more  about  Tom  Norwell  than  she  cared  to  confess. 
He  changed  the  conversation  abruptly,  and  asked  her  if  she 
had  heard  the  latest  sensation. 

"  No,  what  is  it,  Mr.  Roker?" 


AX    IKON    CROWN.  457 

"  Miss  Ingledee,  the  heiress,  disappeared  last  night  unac- 
countably." He  narrowly  watched  her  as  he  said  this.  May 
could  not  conceal  some  agitation  at  the  startling  intelligence. 

"  Disappeared  ?     How  ?  " 

"  She  has  gone,  run  away  from  home,  that's  all.  There 
is  an  evening  paper  containing  a  brief  account  of  the  affair." 
He  pulled  the  paper  from  his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  her. 

"  What  is  the  cause  of  such  strange  conduct  on  her  part, 
Mr.  Roker?" 

"  Nobody  seems  to  know.  It  may  be  domestic  difficulties, 
maybe  there  is  some  other  reason." 

May  was  completely  bewildered.  Roker,  however,  had 
learned,  first,  that  May  Bryce  was  in  love  with  Tom  Nor- 
well,  as  he  was  almost  assured  beforehand;  second,  that  she 
recognized  Miss  Ingledee  as  a  rival,  and  feared  her  moreover, 
as  he  had  suspected;  third,  that  she  was  ignorant  of  Nor- 
well's  real  whereabouts;  lastly,  he  could  rely  on  her  as  an 
active  ally  of  his  own.  Roker  finally  took  his  leave,  and 
May  perused   the  provokingly  indefinite  article  in  the  paper. 

Alice  came  in  and  together  they  reread  it,  but  they  were 
unable  to  solve  the  mystery.  May  scarcely  knew  whether 
to  be  secretly  pleased  at  her  rival's  disappearance  or  not. 
Suddenly  her  eye  caught  the  statement  that  a  hackman  had 
driven  the  young  lady  to  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  ferry. 
With  alarm  she  thought  of  Norwell's  trip  to  Pennsylvania, 
his  sudden  departure,  his  hasty  leave-taking  of  the  night 
before,  and  his  refusal  to  tell  her  where  he  was  going.  "  Oh, 
Alice,  read  that."  She  turned  deadly  pale,  and  would  have 
fallen  had  not  Alice  caught  her  and  led  her  to  a  chair.  Alice 
glanced  at  the  ominous  line,  then  said  softl}' : 

"  Poor  child,  I  see  it  all  now.  My  brother  has  your  heart, 
and  is  not  behaving  well.    He  has  failed  to  keep  his  promise." 

As  May  attempted  to  interrupt  her,  she  went  on:  "I  see  it 
all;  you  would  apologize  for  him." 

"Do  you  think — that — he  would  do  that?"  said  May 
faintly. 

"  No,  May;  calm  yourself.  He  would  never  elope  with 
that  girl.  It  would  be  madness,  knowing  what  Mr.  Ingledee 
is.  He  has  not  done  that.  It  must  be  merely  a  disagreeable 
coincidence.  Arthur  may  know  more  of  his  trip.  I  will  send 
for  him."     She  sat  down  and  hastily  wrote  a  note. 

"Arthur: 

Please  come  over  immediately.     I  must  see  you  to-night. 

Alice  Norwell." 


45^  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

She  dispatched  this  at  once  to  Wilson's  hotel,  which  was 
a  fashionable  one  up  town. 

The  two  women  sat  and  talked  over  these  strange  events 
and  wondered.  Alice  succeeded  in  quieting  May's  fears. 
Now  that  she  shared  May's  secret,  Alice  felt  the  tender 
devotion  of  a  loving  sister  toward  this  girl  who  had  so  long 
meekly  endured  a  great  wrong.  She  was  secrelly  indignant 
with  her  brother  for  his  inexcusable  conduct,  but  this  was  no 
time  to  indulge  in  censure.  May  needed  comfort  iiiore.  At 
last  they  agreed  that  their  scare  was  very  absurd.  A  thou- 
sand men  might  go  to  the  Pennsylvania  depot  without 
explaining  the  object  of  their  journey.  But  that  was  no 
evidence  that  each  intended  to  elope  with  a  woman.  It 
occurred  to  Alice  that  some  excuse  would  be  necessary  to 
explain  her  hasty  sending  for  Wilson.  She  would  ask  him 
to  tell  her  what  he  knew  of  Miss  Ingledee's  disappearance, 
and  whether  there  was  anything  later  known. 

Wilson  appeared  somewhat  surprised  to  find  himself  sum- 
moned by  his  lady  love  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  to  talk  over  a 
matter  in  which  she  had  no  ajjparent  interest  beyond  curiosity. 
He  had  very  little  to  tell.  Alice  soon  inquired  if  he  knew 
the  object  of  Tom's  visit. 

'<  Has  he  not  told  you?" 

"  No,  we  have  few  confidences  on  business  matters  now." 

"  It  is  somewhat  of  a  secret,  in  fact,  and  vou  ladies 
need  not  repeat  it.  He  and  I  think  of  forming  a  co-partner- 
ship of  some  kind, — we  scarcely  know  what  yet.  Just  now 
Tom  iias  gone  to  Pennsylvania  to  look  at  some  oil  lands  we 
think  of  buving." 

This  explanation  of  Norwell's  business  afforded  the  ladies 
inexpressible  relief.  Their  spirits  rose,  they  jested,  chatted 
and  laughed,  till  they  fairly  surprised  Wilson  with  their 
gayety.  He  thought  they  had  looked  uneasy  when  he  first 
came,  in  fact,  almost  anxious.  Now  they  oscillated  to  the 
opposite  extreme  without  apparent  cause.  He  soon  took  his 
departure,  vowing  to  himself  that  woman  is  a  mulitiplied 
conundrum  with  a  thousand  answeis,  and  wondering  why  he 
had  liecn  sent  for  at  all. 

After  two  or  three  days'  reflection,  Mr.  Ingledee  con- 
cluded that  his  daughter's  sudden  desertion  of  her  home  was 
only  a  caprice,  like  that  for  example  of  entertaining  ragged 
newsboys  in  the  Ingledee  mansion.  He  felt  sure  that  his 
view  would  eventually  prove   the  correct  one.     The  voung  • 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  45C 

lady  would  return  in  due  time  when  she  found  that  no  par- 
ticular  fuss  was  made  about  her  absence.  No  youus^  lady,  he 
thought,  would  voluntarily  surrender  her  portion  in  so  many 
millions.  Silas,  who  knew  his  sister  better,  held  a  different 
opinion,  and  had  quietly  put  a  detective  aijency  in  possession 
of  all  the  facts,  with  instructions  to  find  his  sister. 

Mr.  Ingledee,  in  his  assertive  confidence  of  always  con- 
trolling the  situation,  which  was  begotten  of  many  years  of 
uniform  success,  was  not  greatly  troubled  by  the-  unexpected 
episode  which  had  occurred  in  his  famil}'.  But  a  dreadful 
event  was  about  to  take  place  which  at  one  blow  would 
extinguish  the  hope  of  a  lifetime  and  leave  this  bold,  design- 
ins:  man  a  baffled,  heart-broken  one. 

Silas  Ingledee  had  often  entertained  in  regal  style,  on 
board  the  family  yacht,  the  "  Golden  Gate."  In  turn  he  had 
numerous  invitations  to  participate  in  pleasure  excursions  and 
festivities  on  board  other  yachts.  A  few  days  after  Chetta's 
disappearance,  a  young  gentleman  who  had  lately  inherited 
great  wealth,  invited  Silas  Ingledee  to  be  present  with  a  few 
others,  at  the  trial  trip  of  his  new  fast-sailing  vacht,  "  Ora," 
which  had  just  been  completed.  A  favorable  breeze  carried 
the  handsome  craft  down  the  bay  toward  the  ocean.  The 
young  men  were  delighted  with  her  sailing  qualities.  The 
Ora  carried  a  perfect  cloud  of  canvas,  and  moved  over  the 
water  withthe  grace  of  a  bird  and  the  instinct  of  a  living  thing. 
The  masts  leaned  before  the  wind  at  what  a  land-lubber 
would  have  considered  a  verj'  dangerous  angle.  Sudden  1}', 
while  tacking,  a  squall  struck  the  vessel  and  capsized  her 
squarely  on  her  beam  ends.  The  great  spread  of  sail  struck 
the  water  and  seemed  to  adhere  to  it.  The  vessel  quivered, 
but  could  not  right  herself.  The  sea  poured  into  the  cabin 
and  hold.  All  was  excitement  on  board,  but  before  a  single 
effective  measure  for  safety  could  be  taken  the  Ora  had  gone 
down,  leaving  some  twenty  persons  struggling  in  the  water. 
Some  clung  to  a  boat  that  floated  bottom  up.  Others  sus- 
tained themselves  by  swimming  until  picked  up  by  the  boats 
of  a  craft  that  fortunately  was  near.  Three  persons  were 
drowned,  and  among  them  Silas  Ingledee. 

The  bodies  were  brought  to  the  city,  and  the  relatives  at 
once  notified.  Mr,  Ingledee  read  the  message  announcing 
his  son's  death  in  a  dazed  sort  of  stupor.  His  mental  facul- 
ties seemed  suspended.  '■'-Dead!'''^  he  exclaimed.  "  That  can 
not  be;  mv  brain  is  not  clear,  it  must  mean  ivellT     He  tried  to 


460  AN    IRON'    CROWN. 

rouse  his  vision  and  his  thoughts  to  a  clearer  perception  of 
the  words  on  the  paper  before  him.  He  looked  again  at  the 
fatal  buff  slip  with  the  well-known  printed  head  of  the  tele- 
graph company.  The  writing  seemed  indistinct,  but  gradu- 
ally grew  so  plain  there  could  be  no  mistake.  Dead  was  the 
awful  word  before  him.  Dead!  Dead!  The  brief  message: 
"Yacht  Ora  sunk,  Silas  Ingledee  among  the  dead,"  could 
not  be  mistaken.  Its  clear,  concise,  business  phraseology 
seemed  almost  brutal,  "Dead?"  he  exclaimed  again,  half 
aloud,  "  My  son  dead!  No  it  cannot  be.  God  surely  would 
not  take  all  I  hold  dear."  He  sat  for  a  few  minutes, 
apparently  incapable  of  action  or  resolution.  Then  he 
touched  a  button,  and  a  messenger  came. 

"  Call  Mr.  Roker."     Roker  came  at  once. 

"  Roker,  this  needs  attention.  Will  you  kindly  arrange  for 
everything?"     Roker  read  the  few  fatal  words,  and  replied: 

"This  is  dreadful,"  He  looked  fixedly  at  the  message 
for  a  moment,  then  glanced  at  the  stricken  man  before  him, 
and  said  with  as  much  kindness  as  he  was  capable  of:  "  Try 
to  bear  this  terrible  blow,  Mr.  Ingledee.  I  will  see  to  every- 
thing." 

For  three  days  the  great  house  lay  in  the  silence  of  deepest 
mourning.  The  closed  blinds  admitted  but  a  dim  liglit  that 
left  everything  in  a  solemn  gloom.  Servants  glided  noise- 
lessly over  the  luxurious  carpets,  and  through  the  corridors. 
The  undertaker  and  his  men  performed  their  duties  in  silence. 
Once  Mr.  Ingledee  had  gone  to  look  at  the  features  of  his 
dead  boy.  He  stood  like  a  statue  gazing  at  the  lifeless  clay 
before  him,  uttering  no  sound,  speechless,  motionless,  tearless. 
The  placid  features  of  the  dead,  which  wore  a  look  of  repose 
they  never  had  assumed  in  life,  were  scarcely  more  fixed  than 
the  figure  of  the  stricken  parent.  Then  Roker,  covering 
gently  the  face  of  the  dead,  led  the  father  away.  There  was 
ordy  this  man  to  comfort  these  moments  of  extreme  anguish. 
Only  this  man!  And  what  was  he?  One  who,  bearing  no 
malice  toward  the  dead  man,  rejoiced  that  he  was  gone. 
Could  poverty  of  friendship  be  more  extreme?  Could  an 
expiring  slave  be  jooorer  than  the  great  millionaire  was  now? 
No,  a  fellow  slave  would  close  his  eyes  for  love  of  a  dying 
comrade.  But  Horace  Roker  did  his  duty  faithfully,  scrupu- 
lously, and  perhaps  in  that  his  superior  got  all  he  had  any 
right  to  expect.  He  was  very  rich  in  gold,  very  poor  in  the 
love  of  his  fellow  men. 


AN    IRON    CHOWN.  461 

Then  came  the  funeral.  The  turn-out  of  the  moneyed 
great  was  very  large.  The  slowly-moving  line  of  splendid 
equipages  was  a  sight  most  solemn  and  impressive.  The 
procession  fell  in  and  formed  in  the  direction  that  it  took  at 
the  grand  ball  in  the  same  house  once  not  manv  3cars  ago. 
The  long  line  of  handsome  carriages  represented  millions  as 
it  wound  slowly  toward  the  city  of  the  clead,  where  millions 
avail  naught,  there  to  lay  the  hopes  of  a  money  king  away 
forever. 

Horace  Roker  suggested  to  Mr.  Ingledee  that  travel 
might  perhaps  be  the  best  means  of  softening  his  bereave- 
ment. But  the  stricken  man  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  exhibit- 
ing his  grief  in  public  places  amid  the  worry  and  confusion  of 
travel.  He  deemed  it  best  to  divert  his  woe-burdened 
thoughts  by  engaging  in  the  business  of  his  life.  In  one  week 
he  went  to  the  office  a  broken  man,  but  still  a  man  of  definite 
and  aggressive  purpose.  He  would  continue  to  pile  up 
money  for  the  love  of  it,  and  to  give  himself  active  employ- 
ment. There  was  nothing  else  for  him  to  do.  He  could  not 
in  his  present  condition  sit'  down  and  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his 
labor,  because  the  habits  of  a  lifetime  had  unfitted  him  for 
the  quiet  enjoyments  and  pursuits,  that  so  well  become  old 
age.  Still  vigorous  in  mind  and  body,  he  must  give  definite 
employment  to  his  restless  activity.  There  was  nothing  else 
to  do  but  enlarge  his  vaults  and  gather  in  a  few  more  bundles 
of  stocks  and  bonds,  to  own  a  few  more  railroads.  Bereave- 
ment had  not  taught  him  the  lesson  of  chaiity,  and  it  would  go 
hard  with  the  unfortunate  man  who  attempted  to  bar  the 
way  of  Mr.  Ingledee  to  the  consummation  of  any  of  his  plans. 

A  few  days  after  the  funeral  Mr.  Ingledee  discovered 
among  his  letters  one  that  gave  him  a  sudden  start.  It  was 
from  his  daughter,  and  read : 

"Dear  Papa: 

I  have  heard  the  dreadful  news  through  the  papers.  I  know  you 
will  forgive  ine  for  intruding  on  your  grief  when  you  remember  that  it 
is  mine,  too.  I  have  a  right  to  share  it,  and  I  claim  my  right,  though 
I  cannot  be  with  you  to  join  in  your  sorrow.  Papa,  try  to  think  every- 
thing for  the  best,  and  ordered  by  Him  who  orders  all  things  wisely. 

Chetta." 

He  crushed  the  letter  nervously,  and  thought  its  conso^ 
lation  almost  a  gibe  to  his  misery. 

"'Try  to  think  everything  for  the  best.'  No,  I  cannot 
do  that.     Why  should  I,  who  have  the  means  to  gratify  every 


462  AN    IKON    CKOWN. 

wish  of  a  child,  have  my  children  taken  away,  while  some 
penniless  beggar  is  blessed  with  a  dozen  or  more?  I  see  no 
justice  in  it."  But  his  heart  softened  a  little  toward  his 
remaining  child.  It  was  sweet  to  think  that  she  still  remem- 
bered him.  Had  she  appeared  before  him  then  he  would 
have  taken  her  to  his  arms  freely.  The  same  day  he  gave 
the  letter  to  Roker.  It  would  perhaps  serve  as  some  clue  to 
her  whereabouts  in  the  end. 

"  I  scarcely  see  how,"  he  replied.  "  There  is  no  address  in 
the  letter  or  legible  postmark  on  the  envelope,  except  the 
receiving  stamp   of  the  Philadelphia  office." 

"  At  any  rate,  do  what  you  can,  Roker.  Hand  it  to  the 
Detective  Agency.     Home  is  the  place  for  her  now." 

"I  think  so  too,  sir."  Roker  undertook  this  commission 
very  willingly.  Death  had  performed  one-half  of  the  work 
necessary  to  the  success  of  his  plans.  It  was  sudden,  awful, 
and  effectual.  It  startled  Roker  as  he  thought  of  his  own 
guilty  wishes,  but  for  this  death  he  was  not  responsible,  and 
the  event  was  very  welcome.  He  had  now  only  to  pursue 
the  other  half  of  the  enterprise  to  a  successful  termination. 
He  still  hoped  to  be  the  son-in-law  of  a  railway  king. 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 


AN    UNENDING    CONFLICT 


It  is  again  midsummer.  Some  months  ago  Alice  Nor- 
well  became  happy  Mrs.  Wilson.  The  honeymoon  of  this 
well-mated  couple  promises  to  last  many  months  longer,  and 
far  beyond  the  conventional  period.  May  Bryce  is  again  in 
her  distant  country  home.  Wilson  and  Norwell  have  formed 
a  partnership  and  are  now  about  to  set  out  for  the  oil  regions 
of  Pennsylvania,  to  make  some  investments  heretofore  al- 
luded to. 

Business  was  not  in  a  healthful  condition  throughout  the 
nation.  The  business  men  of  the  country  bitterly  com- 
plained of  hard  times.  Thousands  of  laborers  were  out  of 
employment,  and  thousands  of  employes  of  the  great  rail- 
roads were  threatened  with  a  reduction  of  wages. 

As    Norwell  and    Wilson  passed    through   Pennsylvania 


AN    IKON    CUOVVN.  463 

they  saw  evidences  of  tlie  previiilln<^  distress  on  every  hand. 
In  the  coal  regions  thousands  of  miners  were  out  of  employ- 
ment and  otlier  thousands  working  for  starvation  wages. 
The  few  great  coal  companies  had  gradually  grabbed  and 
held  the  fuel  supply  of  a  continent,  claiming  as  private 
property  the  priceless  treasures  which  God  has  stored  in  the 
earth  as  the  heritage  of  all  mankind.  With  equal  justice 
they  could  claim  as  their  own  the  air  and  the  sunlight.  They 
would  gladly  tax  those,  too,  if  there  was  any  way  of  fencing 
them  in  so  the  public  could   not  get  at  them. 

Here  in  this  region  of  vast  mineral  resources  was  illus- 
trated again  the  never-ending  conflict  between  the  people  and 
the  daring  freebooters  who  would  seize  the  people's  rights. 
It  is  a  contest  as  old  as  history,  doubtless  much  older.  It  be- 
gan in  the  days  when  kings,  by  "  divine  right,"  owned  the 
persons,  property,  and  the  very  souls,  of  their  subjects. 
Divine  7-io-ht !  What  cruel  wrongs  and  awful  deeds  of  crime 
have  been  perpetrated  in  the  name  of  religion!  What  wars, 
what  rapine,  what  sickening  oppression!  To-day  men  no 
longer  profane  the  name  of  God  by  calling  it  to  shield  their 
acts  of  pillage.  They  take  without  a  pretense,  and  make  no 
apologies.  This  contest,  begun  in  divine  right,  continued 
during  the  weary  centuries  when  the  sword  made  right,  and 
slavery  was  the  lot  of  the  vanquished;  in  the  days  when 
Roman  savagery  slaughtered,  spoiled  and  scourged  a  bleed- 
ing world  that  one  imperial  city  might  exalt  herself  in  palaces, 
revel  in  luxury,  riot  in  sin,  and  sink  her  loathsome  carcass  in 
nameless  degradation.  It  continued  while  the  brawling,  licen- 
tious nobility  of  the  later  ages  decked  themselves  in  silks, 
velvets  and  jewels,  and  a  miserable  peasantry  lived  in  hovels, 
more  fit  for  wild  beasts  than  men.  It  continues  to-day  when 
the  nobleman  of  Europe  thinks  it  just  that  he  should  own 
twenty  thousand  acres  of  land,  while  millions  of  his  impover- 
ished countrymen  have  none,  and  when  the  money  king  of 
the  new  world  thinks  he  should  have  at  least  ten  millions, 
which  means  that  nearly  ten  thousand  of  his  countrymen 
shall  have  nothing  but  rags.*  This  struggle  will  end  only 
with  the  human  race.  Our  own  fair  land  has  iscen  it  fiercely 
fought,  and  all  the  more  dangerous  to  liberty  because  cun- 
ningly disguised.  Our  pirates  fly  no  black  flag.  They  are 
only  ordinary  peaceful  citizens.      They  are  called  gentlemen. 


»  Note  7. — Accumulation  of  wealth. 


464  AX    lUOX    CROWN. 

They  pose  as  men  of  enterprise  and  public  spirit.  No  one 
will  dispute  the  enterprise.  Their  first  move  against  the 
public  is  to  secure  a  valuable  charter  of  some  kind,  authoriz- 
ing them  to  build  some  great  public  work.  This  exceedingly 
liberal  charter  is  granted  by  ignorant,  careless  or  corrupt  legis- 
lators. And  a  privilege  once  granted  is  a  contract  which 
must  be  held  sacred,  and  so  the  pirate  sits  forever  entrenched 
behind  the  law.  He  piles  up  millions,  and  is  now  ready  to 
fight  successfully  all  hostile  legislation.  He  is  perfectly  will- 
ing to  litigate  because  he  knows  well  the  pcnver  of  money, 
and  the  sort  of  stuff  juries  and  judges  are  sometimes  made  of.* 
He  fights  his  taxes  because  it  is  far  cheaper  than  to  pay  them. 
The  French  nobility,  by  "divine  right,"  were  exempt  from 
taxation.  The  peasantry  was  made  purposely  to  pay  bills. 
Our  pirates  levy  blackmail  by  means  of  a  schedule  of  rates. 
Overcharges  and  rebates  are  a  much  more  genteel  way  than 
the  old  method  of  springing  from  a  thicket,  and  levying  it  at 
the  point  of  a  pistol.  It  is  more  scientific,  more  sweeping  in 
its  scope,  and  more  profitable.  The  highwayman  of  old  could 
hold  up  only  one  unfortunate  at  a  time.  The  highwayman  of 
to-day  bids  a  whole  nation  stand  and  deliver.  Meantime  the 
people  look  on  indifferently.  They  have  enough  as  a  rule, 
and  are  apparently  grateful  that  our  genteel  robbers  have  left 
us  so  much.  The  Roman  or  the  feudal  baron  left  nothing.  We 
have  only  to  wait  long  enough  and,  emboldened  bv  success, 
doubtless  our  long-headed  princelv  thieves  will  devise  means 
to  take  all,  leaving  us  nothing."|* 

It  ma}'  be  urged  that  this  is  an  exaggerated  picture.  It  is 
true  to  history.  Man  is  ever  merciless  to  man,  and  unfortu- 
nately republican  government  has  not  changed  human  nature. 
Perhaps  some  one  fancies  he  sees  here  the  grisly  specter  of 
communism.  It  is  not  here.  The  rights  of  the  people  are 
one  thing,  the  incendiary  utterances  of  conspirators  quite 
another  thing.  The  latter  deserve  to  be  severely  dealt  with 
when  dynamite  is  their  only  argument.  At  the  same  time, 
let  the  millionaire  law-breaker  receive  the  just  penalty  of  his 
crimes. 

The  outrages  of  the  striking  miners  were  to  be  condemned 
and  regretted.  An  unjustifiable  strike  may  become  a  crime 
when  its  far-reaching  consequences  are  considered.     But  what 

♦Note   15.— Intimidation  of  courts. 
fNote  16.—  Untaxable  property. 


AN    IRON    CKOWN.  465 

is  to  be  said  of  the  soulless  corporations  who  drove  these  men 
to  strike!  The  scenes  of  utter  wretchedness  and  squalid  suf- 
fering witnessed  in  the  mining  regions,  beggared  belief  and 
equaled  many  similar  instances  recorded  in  the  over-pop- 
ulated old  world.  Strong  men  sat  idle  day  by  day,  and  saw 
their  children  cry  for  bread  in  a  land  where  the  farmer  often 
burns  his  corn  because  he  can  get  nothing  for  it.  In  hundreds 
of  instances  a  wholesome  meal  had  not  been  eaten  in  weeks. 
What  was  the  cause  of  all  this  sufTcring?  Was  there  no  de- 
mand for  coal?  Excessive  wealth  in  the  hands  of  the  .few 
had  engendered  an  excessive  greed  on  the  part  of  capital. 
Thousands  of  miles  of  railroad  for  which  there  was  no  im- 
mediate necessity  had  been  built,  greatly  stimulating  tiie  iron 
trade,  and  with  it  the  production  of  coal.  The  resources  of 
the  country  were  developed  far  beyond  the  needs  of  commerce. 
As  a  consequence  the  great  corporations  could  no  longer  pay 
dividends  on  their  inflated  capital.  The  coal  companies  agreed 
to  limit  production,  force  up  the  price  and  cut  wages.* 

Let  no  one  misunderstand  the  tenor  of  these  remarks  upon 
the  abuse  of  corporate  power.  It  will  no  doubt  be  atlvanced 
by  the  friends  of  these  rich  grabbers  that  railroads  and  other 
great  incorporated  enterprises  are  a  necessity.  This  no  one 
denies.  Such  persons  will  perhaps  triumphantly  point  to  the 
fact  that  a  large  proportion  of  all  the  railroads  in  the  United 
States  have  gone  into  bankruptcy,  and  that  others  have  never 
paid  a  dividend."]"  This  is  well  understood  and  not  disputed. 
No  attack  whatever  is  made  upon  the  railroad  system  of  trans- 
portation, nor  upon  the  thousands  of  hard-working,  honest 
railroad  employes.  The  danger  lies  not  in  the  system,  but 
in  the  abuse  of  it.  When  it  is  urged  that  great  corporations 
pay  but  a  small  per  cent,  on  the  investment  it  may  be  answered 
that  the  investment  is  largely  fictitious,  consisting  of  a  large 
proportion  of  watered  stock, .which 'represents  no  value  what- 
ever, and  has  been  issued  merely  to  conceal  the  enormous 
profit  on  the  actual  capital.^ 

When  it  is  urged  that  railroads  are  constantly  going  into 
bankruptcy  it  may  be  answered  that  such  bankruptcy  is  often 
an  additional  evidence  that  dishonest  men  are  plundering  the 
road.  There  are  more  effectual  ways  of  killing  a  dog  than 
attempting  to  ghoke  him  to  death  with  butter.     So  there  are 

♦Xole  17. — The  Hocking-  Valley  strike. 

tNote  14. — Profits  of  corporations. 

JNote  iS. — Actual  cost  of  railroads.  — Example  the  Mexican  National. 

30 


466  AX    IKON    CROWN. 

more  effectual  ways  of  robbing  a  railroad  than  to  break  into 
its  vaults  by  the  aid  of  a  dark  lantern  and  crowbar.  Fast 
freight  lines  and  other  barnacle  devices,  extravagant  salaries 
and  fictitious  expenses,  may  absorb  all  the  earnings,  and  leave 
nothing  for  the  mass  of  stockholders  who  arc  not  on  the  inside. 
Another  method  is  to  form  a  combination  against  the  road, 
refuse  to  j:)ro-rate  with  it,  cut  rates,  drive  it  to  the  wall,  and 
then  al^sorb  it  into  the  system.  These  are  only  examples  of 
what  may  be  done  in  that  line. 

Some  paid  agent  of  the  railroad  interest,  or  some  individual 
who  has  been  riding  on  a  free  pass  most  of  his  life,  will  doubt- 
less say  here,  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  knows  all  about  the 
subject,  that  the  cost  of  railroad  transportation  has  steadily  de- 
clined in  this  country  for  the  last  twenty  years,  and  is  now 
cheaper  than  ever  before.  Grant  it.  Well,  does  not  that 
demolish  your  anti-monopoly  argument  completely?  Not  at 
all.  The  railroads  now  carry  for  millions,  where  they  once 
carried  for  thousands.  Doing  business  on  such  a  great  scale 
they  can  afford  to  transact  it  cheaper.  Has  not  the  price  of 
clothing,  flour,  clocks,  dry  goods,  and,  in  short,  everything  else 
been  reduced,  too? 

But  our  monopoly  advocate  may  say  here  that  trunk  lines 
with  difficulty  pay  expenses  during  periods  of  financial  de- 
pression. Let  the  facts  speak  for  themselves.  The  New 
York  Central  &  Hudson  River  Railroad,  probably  the  best 
railway  property  in  the  world,  lately  issuetl  several  millions  in 
bonds  for  purposes  that  really  should  have  been  provided  for 
out  of  the  earnings.  Is  the  New  York  Central  a  poor  invest- 
ment? If  it  is,  why  does  the  man  who  has  for  years  con- 
trolled it,  William  H.  Vanderbilt,  admit  that  he  is  probably 
tlie  richest  man  in  the  world?  When  a  business  man  and 
private  citizen  is  pinched  by  hard  times  he  must  squeeze 
through  as  best  he  can,  or  close  Jiis  doors.  The  railway  king 
has  the  impudence  to  ask  the  public  to  be  lenient  with  him 
because  forsooth  his  great  property  is  not  paying  very  well 
just  now.  He  issues  a  few  millions  of  bonds  to  pay  his  losses, 
and  those  bonds  aie  an  addition  to  the  capital  on  which  the 
]jiiblic  must  pay  interest.*  A  fcxv  facts  on  this  question 
stand  out  7mchallenged^  even  by  the  most  active  apologist  of 
transportation  monopolies.  , 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  governinent   subsidies  to  the   Pacific 

♦.Note  ly. — ^^'ho  meets  ihcir  losses. 


AN    IKON    CKOWN.  467 

railroads  were  so  liberal  as  practically  to  give  these  great 
highways  to  the  projectors  who  were  mainly  impecunious 
adventurers. 

//  is  a  fact  that  bribery  was  resorted  to  in  order  to  obtain 
from  Congress  such  valuable  concessions.  The  Credit  Mo- 
bilier  investigation  establishes  this  point  conclusively 

//  is  a  fact  that  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  whose  projec- 
tors had  but  a  few  thousands  to  begin  on,  became  worth  mil- 
lions in  an  incredibly  short  time;  that  they  drove  nearly  all 
rivals  out  of  business,  and  completely  monopolized  the  oil 
trade  of  the  whole  country.  Their  profits  are  known  to  have 
been  at  one  time  a  million  a  month. 

It  is  a  fact  that  Jay  Gould  and  other  Wall  Street  ope- 
rators have,  by  manipulating  railway  and  other  securities, 
piled  up  fabulous  millions  in  a  few  years,  often  greatly  unset- 
tling values  and  disturbing  the  financial  and  business  interests 
of  the  country  by  their  gambling  operations. 

//  is  a  fact  tliat  railroad  men  who  reach  high  places,  and 
control  railroad  management,  invariably  grow  rich,  while 
nine-tenths  of  all  persons  engaged  in  ordinary  business 
ultimately   fail.* 

//  is  a  fact  that  the  tillable  portion  of  our  public  domain 
is  about  exhausted,  having  been  largely  granted  to  railroads, 
and  that  successive  Congresses  have  refused  to  declare  for- 
feited several  large  grants  in  cases  where  the  companies  had 
not  complied  with  the  conditions. 

What  is  the  remedy  for  all  these  evils?  No  remedy  will 
stamp  them  out  entirely.  Diseases  must  exist  on  the  body 
politic  as  well  as  on  the  natural  body.  Sometimes  they  kill 
the  patient.  But  something  should  be  done  nevertheless,  in 
attempting  a  cure.  The  following  suggest  themselves  as  the 
most  practical  measures: 

1.  Provide  by  law  for  a  careful  government  supervision 
of  all  transportation  by  common  carriers,  and  for  government 
control  of  inter-state  commerce. 

2.  INIake  stringent  laws  for  the  protection  of  the  purity  of 
the  ballot  box,  and  enforce  severe  penalties  for  their  violation. 

3.  In  the  case  of  the  rising  generation  and  future  immi- 
grants, deprive  the  illiterate  of  the  right  of  franchise. 

4.  Reform  the  jury  system,  so  that  juries  will  not  so 
frequently    consist   of  blockheads   and    knaves.     Then  there 

♦Note  30. — Where  do  they  get  it. 


468  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

will  be  at  least  grounds  for  hope  that  all  offenders  against 
the  law  may  be  punished,  regardless  of  wealth  or  social 
standing. 

5.  Public  opinion  must  make  bribe-taking  as  odious  and 
dangerous  as  horse-stealing  t)nce  was.  Then  corruption  in 
official   life  will  diminish. 

6.  All  intelligent  citizens  must  take  an  active  part  in 
politics,  and  see  that  honest,  intelligent  legislators  and  incor- 
ruptible judges  are  chosen  to  manage  the  machinery  of  State. 
That  machinery  ivill  nut  run  itself. 

Leaving  the  coal  regions  sick  at  heart  with  the  misery 
prevailing  there,  Norwell  and  Wilson  proceeded  to  the  oil 
regions.  A  new  belt  had  just  been  opened,  and  people  were 
rushing  to  the  territory,  hoping  to  obtain  in  some  way,  they 
scarcely  knew  how,  a  portion  of  this  oleaginous  wealth.  A 
clearing  had  been  begun  in  the  dense  forest,  and  board  shan- 
ties were  springing  up  along  the  streets  in  which  stumps 
stood  thickly.  The  whole  scene  reminded  them  somewhat 
of  the  rapid  growth  of  a  mining  town  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. But  the  picturesque  figure  of  the  "rustler"  in  greasy 
brown  duck,  with  his  pockets  full  of  specimens  and  his  mind 
full  of  millions,  was  absent,  and  the  scene  partook  more  of 
the  activity  pertaining  to  a  commercial  center. 

Norwell  and  Wilson  soon  found  there  was  no  opportunity 
for  making  favorable  investments  here.  The  great  Octopus 
Oil  Company  had  reached  out  its  slimy  arms  and  enfolded 
the  entire  district.  It  had  bought  or  leased  nearly  all  the 
available  lands.  It  owned  the  pipe  lines  and,  in  fact,  had  tlie 
entire  oil  business  of  the  country  in  its  remorseless  clutch. 
Several  ruined  operators  told  very  discouraging  stories.  One 
man  had  invested  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  a 
refinery  at  Pittsburgh.  The  railroads  charged  him  one  dollar 
per  barrel  for  transporting  his  oil.  They  charged  the  Octo- 
pus the  same,  but  rebated  to  them  half  a  dollar  per  barrel. 
Unable  to  compete  with  the  Octopus  under  such  extortionate 
discrimination, — the  result,  beyond  doubt,  of  conspiracy  be- 
tween the  trunk  lines  and  the  oil  company, — he  was  obliged 
to  close  his  refinery  and  sell  out  to  this  hydra-headed,  devour- 
ing monster,  which  was  one  of  the  most  daring  and  unscru- 
pulous, that  ever  disgraced  this  or  any  other  country.  This 
was  no  isolated  case.  All  the  rivals  of  the  Octopus  were 
treated  in  the  same  way.  Over  one  hundred  refiners  were 
obliged    to  quit  business   in    Pittsburgh  and   vicinity  alone. 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  469 

This  great  corporation,  literacy  biirstinor  with  its  spoils,  even 
openly  defied  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  refused  to  pay 
certain  taxes.* 

One  of  the  victims,  struggling  under  the  unequal  odds 
granted  to  the  Octopus  in  the  matter  of  shipments,  applied 
to  the  ofiices  of  one  of  the  trunk  lines  for  special  terms  to 
large  shippers.  He  received  no  satisfaction.  Then  he  in- 
quired if  he  could  get  the  same  rates  as  the  Octopus,  provided 
his  shipments  were  as  large*  as  theirs.  The  reply  was,  that 
the  company  did  not  care  to  carry  oil  for  him  at  any  price. 
The  railroads  refused  cars,  taid  the  Octopus  controlled  the 
pipe  lines.  As  a  result,  the  well  owner  might  let  his  oil  run 
on  the  ground,  or  take  the  prices  fixed  by  this  monopoly. 
And  yet  intelligent  men  will  deliberately  pooh  at  the  preva- 
lent dissatisfaction  with  monopolies,  and  say  it  is  all  "granger 
talk,"  or  the  work  of  a  crank.  There  is  a  Latin  saying 
which  runs  thus:  "What  can  happen  to  some  one,  may  hap- 
pen to  any  one."  These  things  have  happened,  they  may 
happen  again,  unless  popular  vigilance  prevents  them.  Let 
us  not  suppose  that  the  liberty  won  by  our  forefathers  one 
hundred  years  ago,  and  preserved  at  gi"eat  cost  twenty  years 
ago,  will  endure  for  any  time  without  care.  "Eternal  vigi- 
lance is  the  price  of  libert}',"  and  each  generation  has  its  duties 
to  perform,  its  dangers  to  ward  off.  Shall  we  tamely  bear  this 
grievous  Iron  Crown  of  heavy  rails  and  goading  spikes, 
which  a  few  unprincipled  men  are  placing  on  our  heads  in 
mockery?  Shall  we  be  deceived  by  the  essence  of  royalty 
because  it  lacks  the  name? 

Pi'ospecting  was  going  on  in  another  district  a  few  miles 
distant.  Norwell  and  Wilson  determined  to  ride  there  on 
horseback,  and  look  at  the  prospects.  Tlie  country  was  \evy 
rough  and  thinly  settled,  the  manners  of  the  people  most 
primitive.  After  riding  leisurely  along  for  several  miles  they 
came  to  a  fork  in  the  road,  and  were  in  some  doubt  as  to 
which  way  led  to  their  destination.  A  log  schoolhouse,  the 
relic  of  a  past  generation,  stood  near  the  road.  Norwell 
rode  up  to  the  open  door  to  inquire  of  the  schoolmistress 
the  way  to  their  destination.  That  young  lady  came  to  the 
door  in  response  to  the  call,  and  started  back  in  sudden  sur- 
prise.     It  was  Chetta   Ingledee. 

Note  21. — The  rebate  swindle. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

THE    PITTSBURGH    RIOTS. FIRE   AND   PESOLATION. A  RACE 

FOR    LIFE. 

The  surprise  of  Norwell  at  tlius  meeting  his  old  friend  in 
this  wilderness  was  by  no  means  agreeable.  He  had  often 
thought  of  Chetta  since  her  unaccountable  departure  from 
New  York,  and  looked  on  her  flight  as  another  of  her  freaks. 
He  had  misunderstood  her  in  the  same  way  that  her  father 
had.  Her  absence  had  relieved  him  from  his  very  embarras- 
sing situation  which  had  daily  grown  worse,  so  long  as  both 
Chetta  and  May  Bryce  remained  in  New  York.  As  the  latter 
had  been  absent  too,  for  some  months,  Tom  experienced  a 
sense  of  relief.  It  was  much  easier  to  make  love  by  mail. 
The  matter  could  then  be  postponed  when  inconvenient. 
Meantime,  May's  letters  came  regularly  and  she  scolded  him 
tenderly  if  his  answers  were  delayed  too  long. 

The  men  greeted  Miss  Ingledee  cordially,  and,  as  it  was 
just  noon,  she  dismissed  her  school,  so  thev  could  talk  freely. 
At  first  she  appeared  embarrassed,  but  this  feeling  wore  away 
as  she  listened  with  anxious  interest  to  Tom's  account  of  her 
father,  and  his  changed  appearance.  She  wished  to  learn 
more,  so  she  invited  them  to  dinner  at  the  humble  farmhouse 
where  she  boarded.  Here  they  had  their  horses  put  up  and 
fed,  and  after  dinner  they  indulged  in  a  lengthy  conversation. 
Norwell  advised  her  to  return  home.  She  had  intimated  to 
him,  partly,  the  cause  of  the  falling  out  between  herself  and 
her  father.  He  urged  her  that  her  place  was  with  her  fiither 
now  in  his  loneliness,  and  ventured  the  opinion  that  she 
would  be  welcomed  home  if  she  chose  to  go.  For  herself, 
she  had  changed  none  of  her  views  concerning  the  Ingledee 
wealth,  but  a  sense  of  duty  to  her  father  outweighed  her  per- 
sonal feelings.  Wilson  had  gone  out  to  the  stable  with  the 
boy  to  get  the  horses.  Tom  and  Chetta  had  these  few 
minutes'  conversation  alone.  He  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  urge 
her  return,  regardless  of  his  own  past  relations  to  her.    "  Miss 

(470) 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  47 1 

Ingledee,"  he  said, "  your  place  is  at  home.  We  all  miss  you 
there  very  much." 

"Does  any  one  really  miss  me?" 

"  Your  father  is  very  lonely." 

Perhaps  she  expected  a  different  answer,  but  this  was 
quite  sufficien.t,  for  it  showed  her  her  duty. 

"Are  you  quite  sure,  Mr.  Norwell,  that  father  really 
wishes  me  to  go  back?" 

"Yes,  he  has  intimated  as  much  to  me.  But,  of  course, 
you  undei  stand  that  he  is  a  proud  man,  and  would  probably 
not  make  any  direct  advances  toward  a  reconciliation." 

"Yes,  I  know  that,  Mr.  Norwell.     I  will  go." 

"  It  is  the  best  thing  you  can  do.  You  must  be  very 
lonely  in  this  out  of  the  way  place." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Norwell,  I  have  been  so  lonesome.  There  is 
no  one  here  who  makes  any  pretensions  to  culture.  I  found 
it  rather  novel  at  first,  listening  to  tlie  droll  dialect  and 
homely  talk  of  these  people,  but  that  soon  wore  off,  and  then 
I  was  very  lonely.  I  felt  as  if  life  had  nothing  more  for  me, 
and  the  future  was  all  a  blank.  I  could  not  write  to  hear 
from  old  friends,  and  for  a  while  I  was  actually  sick.  I  shall 
never  make  light  of  homesickness  again." 

"I  am  very  sorry  that  you  have  suffered,"  said  Norwell. 
His  natural  kindness  of  heart  was  touched,  and  there  was  in 
his  consciousness  a  sort  of  feeling  that,  perhaps,  he  was  not 
entirely  guiltless  in  this  matter. 

"That  is  all  over  now,"  she  said  with  a  little  laugh;  "I 
had  a  hard  fight,  though.  If  it  hadn't  been  for  books,  I 
should  have  gone  wild.  The  people  here  have  an  old  ency- 
clopedia, left  by  some  relative,  and  the  only  one  for  miles 
around;  well,  I  think  I  must  have  read  nearly  everything  in 
those  sixteen  big  volumes,  commencing  with  Aard-vark  and 
ending  with  Zebra.     And  they  are  very  interesting  too." 

"Doubtless  they  think  you  a  great  scholar  here." 

"  They  do.  They  pay  me  twenty-five  dollars  per  month. 
That  is  five  dollars  more  than  they  ever  paid  a  lady  teacher 
in  the  summer.  But  you  don't  know  how  glad  I  was  to  see 
you  and  Mr.  Wilson.  ^Meeting  old  acquaintances  from  New 
York  seems  almost  too  good  to  be  real." 

"  Then  I  may  tell  your  father  all,  and  say  you  will  return? 
When,  say  ? " 

"  My  school  closes  here  in  three  weeks.  I  could  not  think 
of  giving  that  up,  and  disappointing  these  people." 


472  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

The  horses  were  led  up  to  the  gate,  and  Wilson  offered 
his  hand  to  say  good-bye.  Then  Norwell  took  the  hand  he 
had  so  often  clasped.  Her  heart  was  beating  tumultuously, 
in  spite  of  her  efforts  to  appear  perfectly  calm.  She  took  his 
hand  and  retained  it  for  a  second,  then  turnetl  quickly  to  con- 
ceal her  feelings,  and  with  a  hasty  good-bye,  ran  into  the 
house. 

When  Norwell  and  Wilson  returned  to  the  little  village 
of  rough  board  shanties  that  evening,  they  learned  that  the 
great  strike  of  railroad  men  had  at  last  begun.  Telegrams 
were  passing  on  the  wires  incessantly,  repoiting  its  progress 
at  various  jDoints.  Next  day  they  continued,  announcing  that 
the  strike  was  rapidly  extending  all  over  the  country.  At 
many  points  there  were  serious  indications  of  riot.  The  mili- 
tia had  been  ordered  out,  and  United  States  regulars  were 
embarking  for  the  scenes  of  disturbance.  Some  of  the  rail- 
roads had  suspended  all  freight  trains,  and,  in  some  cases,  pas- 
senger trains  were  not  allowed  to  go  through. 

Norwell  and  Wilson  started  for  Pittsburgh  on  tlie  second 
day  of  the  strike.  Arriving  there  without  interruption  they 
found  the  excitement  intense.  Dispatches  poured  in  from  all 
parts  of  the  Eastern,  Central,  and  Western  States  announcing 
the  progress  of  this,  perhaps,  the  greatest  strike  in  history. 
Fifty  thousand  railroad  men  had  struck.  The  criminal  classes, 
burglars,  thieves,  pickpockets,  and  vagrants,  were  taking 
advantage  of  the  prevailing  disorder,  and  pursued  more  boldly 
their  dangerous  trades.  They  only  waited  for  an  outbreak  till 
the}'  could  pillage  openly.  Riots  had  already  taken  place  in 
several  cities,  though,  fortunately,  with  very  little  bloodshed. 
The  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  was  absent  on  the  Pacific 
Coast.  Telegrams  had  been  sent  urging  him  to  return 
instantly,  and  he  was  now  on  the  way,  flying  eastward  by 
special  train  at  the  rate  of  forty  miles  an  hour. 

General  Hancock  had  ordered  a  detachment  of  United 
States  troops  to  proceed  westward  from  Philadelphia.  A 
regiment  of  Brooklyn  militia  was  slowly  working  its  way 
westward  on  the  Erie  railroad  from  New  York  City.  A 
regiment  of  Philadelphia  militia  reached  Pittsburgh  to  aid 
the  local  force.  Against  these  strangers  there  was  an  intensely 
bitter  feeling.  In  a  street  affray  tlie  soldiers  had  fired  into 
the  crowd,  among  which  there  were  thousands  of  respectable 
citizens.  The  excitement  grew  until  a  majority  of  the  people 
were  intensely  incensed   against  the  great  corporations.     The 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  473 

Octopus  Oil  Compaii}^  was  denounced  in  the  most  severe 
terms,  and  talk  was  fieely  indulged  of  burning  its  vast  prop- 
erty scattered  all  over  Western  Pennsylvania. 

The  city  of  Pittsburgh  was  in  a  dreadful  situation.  She 
was  exposed  to  the  vengeance  of  an  excited  mob,  consisting 
of  thousiinds  of  determined  men,  some  with  grievous  wrongs 
to  redress,  others  secretly  rejoicing  at  this  sudden  and  unex- 
pected prospect  of  pillage.  The  community  momentarily 
feared  a  horrible  outbreak.  All  the  materials  for  a  tremen- 
dous explosion  wei"e  at  hand;  the  train  was  carefully  lajd;  it 
needed  only  a  spark  to  ignite  it,  and  that  spark  soon  fell  in 
the  fatal  spot.  The  feeling  against  the  militia  grew  hourly. 
A  detachment  of  them  was  fortified  in  the  roundhouse.  It 
was  suggested  to  burn  them  out.  No  sooner  was  the  word 
dropped  than  thousands  of  throats  took  it  up.  "  Roast  the 
butchers,"  was  heard  on  every  side;  but  it  was  no  boys'  play 
to  approach  within  close  range  of  those  rifles. 

The  crowd  was  eager  for  the  work  of  destruction,  and  the 
great  depot  was  fired  by  the  frenzied  mob.  The  fire  spread 
rapidly.  The  lurid  flames  shot  high  in  air,  while  dense 
masses  of  smoke  from  burning  coal  and  oil  cars  settled  over 
the  "  Smoky  City,"  giving  its  already  soot-darkened  atmos- 
phere an  almost  funereal  blackness.  The  fire  licked  up  the 
long  rows  of  freight  cars  on  the  side  tracks  with  its  great, 
red,  hissing  tongue,  like  a  living,  hungry  thing.  It  spread  to 
the  sheds  and  freight  houses,  which  curled,  crackled,  grew 
white  hot,  and  disappeared  like  card  board  before  the  fiery 
blast.  It  gnawed  into  the  very  earth,  and  ate  out  the  buried 
oaken  ties.  The  heavy  steel  rails  of  the  track  tv/isted  and 
writhed  under  their  fiery  baptism,  and  curled  into  fantastic 
shapes,  like  wriggling  serpents.  The  lurid  flames,  the  blind- 
ing, suffocating  smoke,  the  blistering  heat,  the  crash  of  falling 
buiklings,  and  the  derisive  shouts  of  the  maddened  mob,  all 
formed  a  scene  that  was  truly  infernal.  The  crackling  flames 
and  intense  heat  drove  the  people  to  a  respectful  distance. 

Thieves  were  busy  pillaging  cars  that  had  been  broken 
open.  Costly  goods  of  every  description  were  carried  off  by 
the  armful, by  these  wreckers.  Heavy  articles  were  left  to 
be  consumed  by  the  rapidly  advancing  flames.  The  fire 
department  was  helpless.  Men  caught  the  bits  of  the  horses 
while  the  mob  cut  the  traces  and  left  the  engines  standing 
useless.  The  frightened  horses  reared  and  plunged,  firemen 
swore,   women    screamed,  and    the   mob    yelled    in  triumph. 


474  -^^    IRON    CROWN. 

The  police  were  useless;  to  interfere  only  involved  the  danger 
of  sacrificing  life  in  vain.  And  still  the  volcano  of  flame 
rolled  steadily  heavenward  with  a  leaping  and  crackling  and 
hissing  that  was  most  ajDpalling.  A  city  on  fire  is  a  sight 
more  awful  than  any  convulsion  of  nature,  unless  it  be  a 
great  earthquake. 

The  unfortunate  militia  cooped  up  in  the  roundhouse  had 
already  suflered  greatly  under  the  burning  July  heat.  Now 
they  were  in  danger  of  being  suffocated  like  a  wild  beast 
at  bay  in  his  den.  Though  at  a  distance  of  several  hundred 
feet  from  the  burning  depot  the  heat  could  be  plainly  felt 
through  the  glass  of  the  windows.  The  smoke  was  suffo- 
cating. Threats  of  burning  them  out  were  freely  made. 
Several  flaming  cars  of  oil  and  combustibles  saturated  with 
petroleum,  were  shoved  down  the  tracks  toward  the  doomed 
building.  But  fortunately  the  fire  did  not  spread  in  that 
direction,  and  the  roundhouse  was  safe,  for  nobody  cared  to 
venture  under  the  grim  muzzles  of  several  hundred  rifles.  A 
cannon  loaded  with  spikes  and  bolts  was  now  trained  on  the 
building  with  the  intention  of  battering  it  down.  But  the 
besieged  were  so  vigilant  that  the  piece  was  not  fired  a  single 
time,  though  halfa  score  of  dead  bodies  strewn  around  it  next 
morning  testified  to  the  bravery  of  the  mob  and  tlie  horrors 
of  that  night-attack.  Prudent  jieople  wisely  I'emained  in- 
doors as  far  as  possible.  A  portion  of  the  mob,  consisting  of 
those  who  had  nothing  to  lose  and  envied  all  who  possessed 
property,  were  growing  insolent.  A  carriage  was  greeted 
with  hoots  of  derision.  A  broadcloth  coat  and  silk  hat  were 
pretty  sure  to  receive  insult.  Several  individuals  who  were 
indiscreet  enough  to  wear  these  very  palpable  evidences  of 
aristocracy  (in  the  eyes  of  the  mob)  narrowly  escaped  vio- 
lence. 

Thousands  of  people  were  at  the  corners  of  streets  and 
wherever  a  good  view  of  the  great  conflagration  could  be 
obtained.  In  these  crowds  there  was  the  usual  arnount  of 
talking,  bantering  and  discussion  incident  to  an  excited  gath- 
ering of  all  kinds  of  people.  The  mob  now  consisted  of 
many  in  no  way  identified  with  the  railroads  or  the  strikers. 
Some  sympathized  with  it,  others  denounced  it;  some  of  this 
street  discussion  was  good-humored,  some  of  it  loud  and 
angry. 

Norwell  and  Wilson  stood  in  one  of  these  groups  at  a 
distance  of  several  blocks  from  the  center  of  the  mob.     Sud- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  475 

denly  an  uproar  was  heard.  There  was  loud  shouting  and 
a  movement  in  the  crowd.  Then  an  open  carriage  dashed 
rapidly  up  the  street.  There  were  loud  shouts,  "  Hang 
him,"  "  Down  with  the  old  robber,"  "  Swing  him  up,", 
"  Stop  the  carriage,"  and  so  forth.  The  frightened  driver 
lashed  his  terrified  horses  to  full  sjoeed  up  the  incline  over 
the  hard,  cobblestone  pavement.  As  the  carriage  passed  Nor- 
well  he  recognized  its  occupant,  who  sat  bolt  upright  and 
looked  defiance  at  the  people  in  this  hour  of  danger.  It  was 
John  Ophir,  the  great  railway  king.  Ophir  had  been  out  on 
a  trip  inspecting  some  of  his  railroad  property  and  had  been 
delayed  by  the  strike  in  Pittsburgh.  With  his  usual  daring 
and  disregard  for  public  sentiment  he  had  determined  to  see 
what  the  mob  looked  like.  But  unfortunately  for  him  the 
illustrated  papers  had  made  his  face  well  known  to  the  people 
all  over  the  country.  Some  recognized  him.  Instant!}'  the 
cry  was  raised:     "Ophir,  Ophir,  hang  him!    lynch  him!" 

As  the  carriage  came  directly  opposite  the  spot  where 
Norwell  and  Wilson  stood,  two  or  three  strong  men  sprang 
into  the  street,  seized  the  bits  of  the  horses,  and  at  great  risk 
succeeded  in  stopping  the  animals.  The  driver  meanwhile 
plied  his  whip  furiously  and  accompanied  the  blows  with 
savage  oaths.  The  horses  plunged  antl  tried  to  escape  from 
the  men,  the  mob  shouted  and  all  was  confusion.  While  the 
attention  of  the  people  was  directed  to  the  struggling  men 
and  horses,  Ophir  jumped  from  his  seat  to  the  ground,  darted 
through  the  door  to  a  narrow  passage  between  two  buildings 
and  disappeared.  Norwell  and  Wilson  sprang  into  the  pass- 
age, shutting  the  door  and  bolting  it  behind  them.  Some  on 
seeing  this  latter  move  cried  out,  "  There  they  go,"  "  Stop 
the  villains." 

Ophir,  reaching  the  alley  in  the  rear  turned,  seeing  that 
he  was  closely  pursued,  and  recognized  Norwell. 

"  My  God,  Norwell,  is  it  you!  Have  mercy.  Would 
you  see  me  torn  up  by  that  savage  mob?  Spare  me  and  I 
will  make  you  a  rich  man." 

"  Silence!"  said  Norwell,  "  this  is  no  time  to  talk  by-gones. 
We  will  try  to  save  you.  Here!  Change  hats."  Quick  as 
thought  Norwell  seized  Ophir's  glossy  silk  hat  and  placed 
his  own  soft  crush  hat  on  the  other  man's  head,  jamming  it 
down  over  his  eyes.  "  Now,  run  for  life!  Out  at  the  far 
end  of  the  alley!     Quick!" 

Ophir  needed  no  second  bidding.     Though  unused  to  vio- 


47^  AN    IRON    CUOWN. 

lent  exercise,  he  made  exceedingly  good  time  through  the 
alley.  Norwell  gave  Ophir's  silk  hat  a  fling  over  a  wall  out 
of  sight.     "Now,  Wilson,  run  for  it." 

"  But  they  will  hang  you  sure  if  they  catch  you." 

"  Better  one  than  two.  Think  of  your  wife.  Go!  I'll 
get  out  some  way.  Through  by  that  store  there  is  a  way  of 
escape."  He  shoved  Wilson  toward  the  door,  which  was  but 
a  rod  away. 

W^ilson  darted  through  the  board  fence  into  the  rear  yard 
of  the  house  and  quietly  appeared  on  the  other  street  in  a 
few  moments,  by  a  passage  similar  to  the  one  by  which  they 
had  entered  the  alley.  Meanwhile  the  mob  having  no  means 
at  hand  of  breaking  down  the  door  by  which  Ophir  had 
escaped,  poured  through  a  narrow  cross  alley  and  appeared 
in  the  alley  where  Norwell  was,  in  a  direction  opposite  to 
that  by  which  Ophir  had  escaped.  Norwell,  bareheaded, 
walked  leisurely  back,  meeting  the  pursuing  crowd.  "  Here 
he  is,"  rose  in  an  angry  shout.  "  Bring  a  rope."  The 
leaders  of  the  mob  closed  around  Norwell  to  seize  him.  He 
quietly  backed  against  the  fence  and  said: 

"  Don't  be  in  a  hurry.     I'm  here  when  you  want  me." 

"  We  want  you  right  off,  I  guess,"said  a  big  man,  "  and 
now  we've  got  you.     Where's  the  rope?" 

"  It's  coming,"  exclaimed  a  second. 

"  Hadn't  you  better  get  the  right  man  before  you  hang 
him?" 

"  Captain,  I  guess  you  are  the  right  man.  That's  what 
they  said  on  the  street,  any  way.  You  are  one  of  them 
cursed  millionaires  that's  bleedin'  the  life  out  o'  the  poor 
people  with  your  railroads  and  oil  companies  and  other  devil- 
ish schemes  of  robbery.  We've  got  you  an'  we  mean  to 
keep  you." 

"  I  am  not  the  man  who  was  in  the  carriage." 

"Captain,"  said  the  spokesman  of  the  mob,  "you'd  better 
spend  your  time  prayin',  fur  I  reckon  this  is  about  your  last 
chance." 

A  rope  had  been  obtained  somewhere  and  it  was  proposed 
to  lead  the  prisoner  into  the  street  and  hang  him  to  a  tree. 
The  alley  was  now  full  of  men  shouting,  struggling,  and  all 
trj'ing  to  get  to  the  front  to  see  what  was  going  on.  Nor- 
well remained  cool  though  he  realized  the  extreme  peril  of 
his  situation  in  the  hands  of  a  frenzied  mob,  wlio  could  not 
be  expected  to  listen  to  reason.  Resistance  was  worse  than 
useless.     He  must  try  to  get  them  to  listen  to  him. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  477 

"  I  tell  you  I  am  not  the  man  you  are  looking  for.  Gen- 
tlemen, for  God's  sake,  listen  to  me.  You  won't  hang  a  man 
without  giving  him  a  chance  tor  his  life,  will  you?  I  am  not 
the  man  who  was  in  the  carriage. 

"  Oh,  you're  not,  ain't  you,"  exclaimed  several  voices, 
derisively. 

"  No,  I  am  not.  I  can  convince  you  if  you  will  only 
listen." 

"Give  him  a  chance."  "  Let  him  sav  what  he's  got  to 
say,"  rose  from  the  crowd.  The  American  people  are  pre- 
eminently a  people  who  love  fair  play.  In  this  mob  were 
some  who,  above  the  passion  and  excitement  of  the  moment, 
were  determined  to  see  fair  play,  and  let  the  prisoner  tell  his 
story. 

"  I  saw  that  man  jump  from  the  carriage  and  I  followed 
him  through  here,"  said  Norwell.  "  But  I  guess  he  must 
have  got  through  the  alley." 

"  You  guess  so,"  sneered  the  big  man  who  acted  as  ring- 
leader of  the  mob,  "  We  want  facts  now.  If  you  are  not 
the  man,  where  is  he?  " 

"  I  don't  know  where  he  is.  But  I  stood  on  the  corner 
there  for  half  an  hour  before  the  carriage  came  up.  Did 
nobody  here  see  me?  " 

"•  That's  pretty  d — d  thin,"  exclaimed  one  ruffian.  "  Hurry 
up  boys.  Let's  string  him  up,"  cried  another.  Two  men 
seized  Norwell  rudely  to  lead  him  away.  His  case  was 
apparently  hopeless,  for  without  additional  evidence  he  could 
make  no  impression  on  that  excited  mob,  who,  like  blood- 
hounds, panted  for  their  prey.  Two  men,  who,  mounted  on  a 
box  got  a  good  view  of  Norwell,  now  called  out  that  they  had 
seen  him  standing  there  with  a  friend  before  the  carriage 
came  up.  That  was  certainly  corroborative  evidence,  and  the 
mob  fell  back  a  little.     Norwell  now  continued: 

"  I  can  tell  you  just  who  the  man  was  you  wanted.  It 
was  John  Ophir."  The  crowd  jeered  at  the  mention  of 
Ophir's  name.  Some  of  the  later  arrivals  who  had  heard 
the  lirst  hue  and  cry,  confirmed  this  statement,  for  they  were 
present  when  the  people  had  first  recognized  Ophir  down 
the  sti'eet.  This  man  clearlv  was  not  Ophir,  and  there  was 
nothing  to  do  but  release  him.  "  Mighty  ticklish  business 
for  you,"  said  one.  "  Close  shave,"  said  another.  The  big 
man  said,  "  No  offence,  I  hope,  Captain?  " 

"  All   right,  boys,"   said   Norwell,  "  but    I   advise  you  to 


47S  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

find  out  whether  a  man  has  committed  any  crime  or  not 
before  you  hang  him."  Then  Norwell  walked  into  the 
street  with  that  feeling  of  intense  relief  known  only  to  those 
who  for  a  brief  space  have  stood  face  to  face  with  the  con- 
queror of  all  conquerors,  the  invincible  foe,  death. 

Next  day  the  riot  was  suppressed,  but  the  destruction 
of  property  had  extended  over  a  territory  three  miles  in 
length.  The  militia  imprisoned  in  the  roundhouse  were 
released  after  a  perilous  experience,  and  by  a  forced  march 
on  that  fatal  Sunday,  escaped  to  the  country,  with  a  loss 
of  several  killed  and  wounded.  The  destruction  of  prop- 
erty amounted  to  several  millions.  One  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  costly  locomotives  lay  useless  in  this  wild  wreck.  Only 
blackened,  smoking  ruins  marked  the  scene  which  had  lately 
been  the  busy  center  of  travel  and  commerce.  Vast  quanti- 
ties of  property  had  been  stolen  by  the  thieves.  The  dis- 
reputable classes  had  disgraced  the  cause  of  the  honest 
strikers,  who  began  the  movement  for  the  redress  of  their 
wrongs.  One  rich  booty  escaped  them  through  their  igno- 
rance of  its  value.  In  one  spot  the  railroad  track  was  covered 
by  a  vast  sheet  of  whitish  metal  that  looked  like  lead.  When 
the  burning  cars  had  burst  under  the  weight  of  metal  molten 
by  the  intense  heat,  a  silvery  fountain  had  poured  across  the 
track  and  run  down  the  gutters,  mingling  with  the  ashes 
and  parched  dust  of  the  street.  Thousands  of  feet  had  crossed 
and  recrossed  this  shining  mass  which  soon  became  a  dirty 
color  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  soil.  Norwell  and 
Wilson  happening  along  stopped  to  look  at  this  metal  coating 
that  covered  the  ground.  Wijson  stooped  and  picked  up  a 
spray  of  the  mass  that  had  run  into  a  little  channel.  He 
looked  at  it  eagerly  for  a  moment,  then  called  Tom's  attention 
to  it  in  a  low  tone. 

"  Do  you  see  that?  "  he  asked,  pointing  to  a  bright  scratch 
he  had  made  with  his  knife. 

"  Yes,  lead." 

"Lead!"  Then  lowering  his  tone  so  as  to  make  sure 
that  no  one  could  hear  him,  "  That  is  silver  bullion,  every 
ounce  of  it." 

"  What!"  exclaimed  Tom  in  astonishment. 

"  Sh!  I've  taken  many  a  bar  of  it  out  of  the  old  Amazon. 
There's  at  least  half  a  million  here  in  the  street." 

And  so  it  proved  to  be.  A  car  containing  silver  bullion 
had  been  burned,  and  the  mob  tramped  over  the  precious 
mass  thinking  it  lead. 


CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

MR.     MALLEY     COMES     OUT      IN      STYLE. A     MASKED     BALL. 

ATALANTA    VICTORIOUS. 

The  Wilsons  purchased  an  elegant  home  in  a  fashionable 
part  of  the  city,  though  their  house  was  comparatively  modest 
compared  with  the  residences  of  some  of  their  wealthy 
Fifth  Avenue  neighbors.  They  had  bought  and  furnished  a 
place,  keeping  in  mind  the  real  comforts  that  may  be  derived 
from  judicious  use  of  wealth,  rather  than  any  factitious  appur- 
tenances that  appeal  only  to  the  eye.  There  was  nothing 
lavish,  nothing  bizarre.  True,  it  was  the  home  of  a  million- 
aire, but  every  detail  of  the  interior  indicated  that  it  had  not 
been  the  owner's  design  to  advertise  the  fact  that  he  was  a 
rich  man. 

As  soon  as  they  were  comfortably  settled  in  their  new 
home  invitations  were  issued  for  a  reception.  Mrs.  Wilson 
was  careful  to  invite  all  those  with  whom  she  really  cared  to 
continue  acquaintance,  and  beyond  this  number  invited,  as  is 
nearly  always  the  case,  a  few  persons  in  payment  of  outstand- 
ing social  obligations.  Among  these  latter  were  the  Snickers. 
Miss  Harrie  had  readily  accepted  the  invitation.  Since  the 
giver  was  a  millionaire  no  other  questions  need  be  asked.  It 
was  settled  around  the  Snicker  family  altar  (as  to  which  altar 
see  a  previous  chapter)  that  it  was  altogether  the  proper 
thing  to  know  the  Wilsons.  The  Miss  Norwell,  whom  it 
was  not  proper  to  know  because  she  could  not  give  parties, 
was  now  the  Mrs.  Wilson  whom  it  was  eminently  proper  to 
know,  because  she  could  give  parties. 

In  the  midst  of  her  rich  and  fashionable  company,  Mrs. 
Wilson  did  not  forget  the  humble  people  whom  she  had 
known  when  she  was  poor  herself.  .She  specially  favored 
them  by  allowing  them  to  come  when  they  pleased,  without 
the  inconvenience  of  a  full  dress  exhibit.  She  sent  "at  horrie  " 
cards,  among  others,  to  Mary  Hackett  and  Aunt  Rhoda,  and 
to    Mr.    Pipe   Malley.     The    latter    gentleman    was    slowly 

(479) 


4S0  AN    IKON    CROWN. 

rising  in  the  world,  with  increasing  prosperity.  lie  wore 
better  clothes,  and  persistently  attempted  to  improve  his 
speech  and  manners.  Though  he  was  not  an  extiaordinary 
young  man  yet,  only  those  who  have  been  what  Pipe  Malley 
the  newsboy  was,  and  have  afterward  risen  in  life,  can  realize 
what  the  true  self-made  man  has  to  encounter  in  his  struggle 
with  the  world.  To  rise  unaided  from  poverty  and  ignorance 
to  eminence,  requires  abilities  little  sliort  of  genius. 

Mary  Hackett  came  and  brought  Aunt  Rhoda  with  her. 
The  old  lady  who  had  never  been  in  a  fine  house  in  her  life, 
took  a  childish  deliglit  in  examining  the  furniture  and  talking 
about  it.  She  gave  a  start  as  she  sat  down  on  a  great,  velvet- 
cushioned,  easy  chair  and  found  herself  sinking  into  it  too  far, 
she  thought.  She  leaned  back,  and  her  surprise  ended  in  u 
cracked  little  squeaky  scream,  as  she  thought  herself  going 
clear  over  backward.  She  chose  a  plainer,  steadier  chair  rather 
than  trust  herself  to  that  "  plaguey  tiltin'  thing."  The  old 
lady  gazed  with  admiration  approaching  awe  on  a  rich  velvet- 
covered  sofa  with  delicate  designs  in  light  colors,  and  beauti- 
fully carved  woodwork.  She  could  not  be  persuaded  to  sit 
on  it  at  all. 

"  It's  too  fine,  Mrs.  Wilson,  for  my  old  clothes  to  tech. 
It  must  o'  cost  a  sight  o'  money." 

"  Two  hundred  dollars,"  answered  Alice.  "  We  had  to 
have  a  few  nice  things,  Aunt  Rhoda,  to  show  company." 

"  I  want  to  know!  Two  hundred  dollars!  Land  sakes! 
I've  heard  father  (she  pronounced  the  a  in  father  very  flat) 
tell  how  he  started  when  he  was  married  in  Vermont  seventy 
years  ago.  He  had  five  dollars  in  money,  that  he  laid  out  in 
dishes  an'  pots,  an'  mother  hadn't  a  last  thing  but  a  bed  an' 
a  kiverled.  My!  but  isn't  that  pretty!"  she  exclaimed  as  she 
gazed  on  the  sofa,  and  gently  felt  the  soft,  yielding  cushions 
which  she  was  afraid  to  press  very  hard  lest  they  should  never 
recover  their  full  outlines.     "  Isn't  it  pretty,  Mary?" 

"  It  is  very  beautiful.  Auntie." 

"  Mary,  I've  saved  something  all  these  3'ears  for  you. 
When  3'ou  marry,  1  can't  git  sich  fine  things  foi'  you,  but  I 
won't  have  it  said  that  my  child  hadn't  a  >ingle  thing  to  start 
housekee2:)in'  with." 

"Never  mind  that  now.  Auntie,"  whispered  Mary.  Ancf 
so  Aunt  Rhoda  spent  an  hour  looking  with  childish  wonder 
at  the  elegant  things  in  this  fine  house,  which  was  to  her  a 
new  world. 


AN    IKON    CKOWN.  4S1 

When  Mr.  Pipe  Malley  called  to  pay  his  respects,  he  was 
dressed  as  he  supposed,  well  up  toward  the  top  of  the  fashion. 
He  wore  a  li<^ht-colorcd  tailor-made  suit  (the  first  he  had  ever 
possessed  constructed  to  order),  new  boots  with  very  square 
toes  and  very  lively  squeak,  nobby  stiff  hat  in  the  latest  style 
(the  first  of  its  species  which  had  ever  adorned  his  head),  and 
a  very  glossy  standing  collai*.  He  had  carried  a  silver  watch 
with  a  rolled  plate  chain  for  so  long  a  time  already,  that  he 
no  longer  considered  those  articles  of  utility  and  adornment 
as  strong  points  in  his  make  up. 

Mrs.  Wilson  received  Mr.  Malley  with  cordiality,  and  in- 
troduced him  to  her  husband.  Pipe,  who  felt  that  he  was 
now  about  to  wrestle  with  some  of  the  most  intricate  problems 
of  etiquette,  was  on  his  mettle  for  the  occasion.  But  many 
a  doughty  warrior  who  has  trodden  his  enemies  under  the 
iron  heel  of  war,  has  fallen  before  that  skilled  adversary  greater 
than  himself,  etiquette,  who  pierced  his  armor  with  a  subtle 
shaft,  while  the  boast  of  victory  was  in  his  mouth.  It  is  not 
strange  then  that  Pipe  Malley  fell  at  the  very  first  volley. 
He  committed  the  humiliating  blunder  of  calling  Wilson 
"  Mr.  Malley,"  as  he  took  the  host's  hand,  saying:  "  Happy 
to  know  you,  Mr.  Malley."  He  had  rehearsed  this  scene 
over  and  over  at  home,  picturing  to  himself  the  social  triumph 
he  was  about  to  achieve,  and  this  was  the  mortifying  result. 
He  blushed  scarlet  with  mingled  humiliation  and  anger  at  his 
own  awkwardness. 

But  the  host  and  hostess  soon  put  him  at  his  ease  by  their 
cordial  manners.  Pipe  had  taken  the  big  easy  chair.  Unlike 
Aunt  R  hoda,  he  had  no  misgivings  on  the  score  of  its  land- 
ing him  heels  over  head  backward.  Under  pretense  of  mov- 
ing, he  stealthily  teetered  in  it  to  see  how  far  he  could  sink 
into  the  velvet}',  yielding  seat.  The  conversation  was  spirited, 
though  for  a  time  Mr.  Malley  got  his  verbs  and  subjects  at 
hopeless  variance,  and  flung  adjectives  and  pronouns  round  in 
wild  confusion.  But  his  speech  improved,  as  he  grew  more 
self-possessed.     Alice  asked  him  about  his  mother. 

"  Oh,  she's  first  rate.  Mother's  pretty  stanch  for  an  old 
lady." 

"  You  have  a  brother,  I  believe,"  said  Wilson. 

"  Yes,  we're  twins."  By  dint  of  jDcrseverance  and  after 
many  signal  faiiuies  Pipe  had  learned  not  to  put  himself  in 
the  plural  as  twins,  and  was  trying  to  have  Quill  achieve  the 
same    accomplishment.      Notwithstanding    Pipe's    persistent 


4S2  AN     IKON    CIIOWN. 

efforts,  Quill  had  not  yet  mastered  this  nice  distinction  of  lan- 
guage, and  occasionally  delivered  himself  of  the  statement: 
"  Fm  twins,"  when  the  subject  of  relationship  was  brought 

"  How  is  your  brother?     He  works  with  you,  I  believe?" 

"  Yes,  Quill  works  for  the  firm.  Oh,  he's  tip- top,  thankee; 
nothin'  ever  ails  Quill." 

Mrs.  Wilson  asked  Pipe  about  business. 

"  Well,  it's  tolerable,  not  exactly  rushin'.  Oh,  business  is 
all  cut  up,  but  we're  doin'  an'  improvin'  business,  an'  I  call 
that  something." 

"  That  is  a  great  deal,  Mr.  Malley." 

"  We've  moved,  Mrs.  Wilson.  We've  got  four  rooms 
now  instid  o'  two.  I  says  to  mother,  '  Mother,  I  don't  care 
a  cent  for  style,  but  I  do  like  solid  comfort.'"  Then  glanc- 
ing around  the  room,  he  continued:  "  You  folks  have  got  a 
pretty  slick  lay  out  here,  I  tell  you  what."  Mr.  Wilson 
smiled  very  perceptibly,  till  a  look  from  his  wife  seemed  to 
curtail  in  some  degree  the  dimensions  of  his  mirth.  He 
replied: 

"Oh,  3'es,  we  shall  contrive  to  get  along.  Mrs.  Wilson 
believes  in  solid  comfort,  too." 

Soon  after  Mr.  Mailey  took  his  departure,  highly  pleased 
at  receiving  an  invitation  to  call  again,  and  bring  his  brother. 
For  the  latter  he  apologized,  saying  that  Quill  didn't  "go 
much  on  society."  Pipe  Malley  went  home,  feeling  exceed- 
ingly well  pleased  with  himself  and  toward  the  world  in 
general.  The  future  was  very  bright  for  him.  He  was  pros- 
perous financially  and  socially.  With  a  calling  acquaintance 
on  Miss  Ingledee  and  the  Wilsons,  he  should  like  to  have 
any  one  dispute  the  fact  that  he  moved  in  good  society. 

Miss  Ingledee  had  also  called  on  Mrs.  Wilson,  and  the 
call  had  been  duly  returned.  These  exchanges  of  courtesies 
had  been  conducted  with  punctilious  formality.  They  gave 
recognition  to  the  fact  that  an  acquaintance  existed  between 
the  two  ladies,  and  they  indicated  still  further  what  both  were 
not  likely  to  forget,  that  no  special  friendship  existed  between 
them.  The  ladies  were  studiously  polite,  and  each  expressed 
a  wish  that  the  other  might  call  again.  And  they  were  not 
hypocrites.  Neither  had  a  thought  of  deceiving  the  other, 
for  it  was  evident  they  understood  each  other. 

Again  May  Bryce  is  in  New  York.  She  stops  most  of 
the  time  with  her  very  dear  friend,  Mrs.  \Vilson.     The  Prairie 


AN    IKON    CROWN.  4S3 

Flower  is  no  longer  the  happy  girl  that  we  first  knew  on  whose 
fair  face  had  never  rested  the  shadow  of  a  care.  She  has 
grown  more  womanly,  more  thoughtful.  The  rosy  cheeks 
are  a  trifle  thinner  and  paler.  Her  eye  appears  almost  unnatu- 
rally bright,  and  the  white  has  a  pearly  luster.  Tom  Norwell 
says  she  is  prettier  than  ever,  and  she  believes  it  because  he 
says  so.  But  a  careful  observer  might  not  coincide  in  the 
lover's  roseate  statement.  Mrs.  Bryce  might  think  difFereiitly, 
for  what  eye  is  like  that  of  a  mother  who  holds  her  child 
dearer  than  all  other  earthly  things.  Mrs.  Wilson,  whose 
heart  goes  out  toward  her  best  friend,  can  see  in  May's  face 
the  evidences  of  troubled  thoughts,  of  something  that  ap- 
proaches care  and  anxiety. 

May's  love  has  not  brought  the  perfect  happiness  that  most 
girls  expect  to  find  in  this  delightful  phase  of  their  experience. 
The  views  of  romantic  young  ladies  are  too  exalted,  for  noth- 
ing in  this  world  is  perfect,  and  even  love  falls  short  of  per- 
fection. The  months  have  slowly  crawled  into  years.  Her 
lover  is  neither  hot  nor  cold.  He  is  very  gallant,  very  kind, 
very  procrastinating.  She  does  not  doubt  him,  because  he 
has  told  her  thev  will  be  married  as  soon  as  he  makes  a  little 
more  money,  though  that  time  seems  now  as  far  distant  as 
ever.  Meantime,  the  rose  is  fading  from  her  cheeks  and  the 
welling  spring  of  happiness  that  once  overflowed  in  her  heart 
is  slowly  subsiding.     She  can  only  wait  and  hope. 

Mrs.  Bryce  has  long  felt  secretly  anxious  about  her  daugh- 
ter. She  even  wished  to  have  the  engagement  broken  oflf 
at  once,  but  Mr.  Bryce  thinks  her  fears  groundless.  His 
faith  in  Norwell  remains  unshaken,  and  he  predicts  that  every- 
thing will  come  out  all  right  yet.  They  agree,  however,  that 
May  is  not  strong,  and  that  perhaps  another  visit  in  the  East 
might  do  her  good.  Having  particularly  cautioned  her  sister 
and  Mrs.  Wilson  that  May  must  be  well  taken  care  of,  Mrs. 
Bryce  consented  that  she  should  again  go  to  New  York. 
Her  father  had  leased  the  farm  for  a  term  of  years,  intending 
to  travel  and  take  a  little  enjoyment  for  awhile.  The  old 
folks  had'  planned  for  themselves  and  May  a  ti"ip  to  Cali- 
fornia to  visit  a  brother  of  Mr.  Bryce's,  but  to  their  surprise. 
May  preferred  to  go  East  instead  of  to  the  Pacific  coast, 

"Well,  Mary,"  said  Mr.  Bryce,  "you  see  why  the  child 
prefers  to  go  to  New  York.  John's  folks  would  all  be  stran- 
gers to  her,  so  let  her  have  her  own  way."  Thus  it  was 
settled,  and  now  three  thousand  miles  separate  the  parents 
from  their  child. 


4S4  AX    IKON    CKOWN. 

Miss  De  Furrier  had  concluded  to  give  a  masquerade  party. 
A  masked  ball  is  a  little  out  of  the  ordinary  course  of  events. 
To  the  thousands  who  have  never  participated  in  such  an 
affair,  it  is  a  decided  novelty.  But,  really,  there  should  be  no 
novelty  about  it.  Life  is  for  many  a  continual  masqueiade. 
Nature  has  given  to  most  of  us  two  faces,  one  for  the  world 
to  look  at,  one  that  we  dare  not  look  upon  ourselves. 
It  is  a  truism  to  repeat  that  the  sinner  often  wears  the  mask 
of  a  saint  w  hile  doing  the  devil's  work.  In  fact,  there  is  un- 
questionably an  eiToneous  idea  prevalent  concerning  the  make- 
up of  the  latter  personage.  Instead  of  being  got  up  chiefly 
in  horns,  hoofs,  tail  and  a  very  forbidding  countenance,  his 
majesty,  beyond  doubt,  knows  the  latest  style  and  dresses  in  it. 
His  raiment  is  of  the  best,  his  politeness  perfection,  his  smile 
most  affable.  He  moves  in  good  society,  frequents  the  fash- 
ionable resorts,  keeps  right  up  with  the  times,  and  is,  in  short, 
a  devil  of  a  good  fellow.  It  was  a  most  facetious  wag  who 
clothed  the  devil  in  horns  and  an  odor  of  brimstone. 

The  fiilse  friend  wears  the  mask  of  sodality,  lifting  it  be- 
times to  wag  the  tongue  of  slander.  The  traitor  often  wears 
the  mask  of  friendship  closest  after  he  has  sold  you,  and  has 
the  money  in  his  pocket.  The  ingrate  wears  the  mask  of  in- 
jured innocence  while  repaying  benefactions  with  neglect. 
The  coward,  too,  flaunts  the  lion  skin  and  swings  the  club  of 
Hercules,  a  most  comical  antic,  when  tlie  presence  of  real 
danger  would  cause  his  frightened  little  soul  to  cower  trem- 
bling in  its  darkest  corner. 

With  this  perpetual  masquerade  of  real  life  going  on 
around  us,  there  would  seem  to  be  little  occasion  for  any 
artificial  bal  masque,  even  as  a  diversion.  It  would  afford  as 
much  entertainment  to  a  thoughtful  person,  and  far  more 
profit,  to  enter  any  large  assemblage,  and  study  the  every- 
day masks  of  the  people  there.  Here  is  a  gay  gallant  mak- 
ing himself  agreeable  to  a  finely-dressed,  beautiful  woman. 
What  is  his  second  face  behind  the  first?  What  does  she 
conceal  beneath  so  fair  an  exterior?  Here  is  a  man  who 
makes  conspicuous  the  fact  that  he  is  a  very  honest  man. 
Perhaps  he  paints  on  his  mask  the  sign,  "  Square  dealing." 
What  lurks  behind  that  specious  outside?  Here  is  a  serpent 
in  the  guise  of  a  man  pouring  honeyed  words  into  the  ear  of 
a  foolish,  unsuspecting  girl.  There,  under  the  very  fashiona- 
ble mask  of  respectability,  promenade  Misery,  Want  and 
Death  in  the  person  of  a  millionaire  brewer  or  distiller,  who 


AN    lUON    CROWN.  485 

has  built  a  towerinor  pyramid  of  wealth  on  the  poisoned  bodies, 
ruined  souls  and  bli<2,hted  homes  of  his  fellow-men.  Be  very 
courteous  to  him.  lie  is  respectable.  Shun  his  victim,  the 
rechng,  besotted  drunkard;  he  is  not  respectable. 

Miss  De  Furrier  had  not  invited  "  everybody,"  for  she 
disliked  a  crush,  and  this  was  a  party  for  enjoyment.  Many 
of  our  old  acquaintances  were  present,  among  them  Miss 
Ingledee,  the  Wilsons,  young  Mr.  Brownell,  who,  strange  to 
say,  was  not  abroad,  Mr.  Frederick  Snicker  and  Miss  Snicker, 
Miss  Bryce,  Mr.  Roker,  Mr.  Ilickley  and  others.  Obedient 
to  her  mother's  advice.  May  was  not  going  a  great  deal  into 
society,  but  she  wishecl  very  much  to  see  a  masquerade,  and 
so  accepted  this  invitation. 

It  was  indeed  a  brilliant  sight  to  behold  the  gay  maskers 
in  costumes  that  represented  the  people  of  nearly  evei'y  age 
and  nation.  There  were  kings,  queens,  knights,  warriors, 
pages,  savages,  shepherds,  historical  characters,  mythological 
personages,  and  a  host  of  miscellaneous  damsels  and  young 
men  in  every  imaginable  conceit  of  mask  and  costume. 

Arthur  Wilson  personated  an  officer  of  the  Continental 
army,  Mrs.  Wilson  a  lady  of  the  same  period.  Miss  Snicker 
tripped  lightly  as  a  fairy.  Fred  Snicker  was  a  knight  in 
armor,  and  looked  very  formidable  in  coat  of  mail,  helmet 
and  greaves.  His  legs  perhaps  did  not  fill  the  latter  as  well 
:is  might  have  been  desired,  but  his  manly  breast  heaved 
under  the  influence  of  stays  and  plate  armor  in  a  most  heroic 
fashion,  that  looked  almost  "abwupt."  Tom  Norwell  at- 
tracted a  great  deal  of  attention  as  a  "  rustler,"  clad  in  brown 
soiled  duck,  with  belt,  knife  and  pistols  of  formidable  pro- 
portions, rocks  in  his  pocket,  and  a  pick  on  his  shoulder. 
Miss  Bryce  was  a  flower  girl,  Mr.  Roker  a  haughty  Span- 
ish cavalier  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Miss  Ingledee  attracted 
general  attention  in  a  classical  flowing  costume  with  sandals, 
bow  and  quiver,  and  a  laurel  wreath  on  her  head.  At  her 
side  during  the  grand  march  around  the  saloons  was  a  beau- 
tiful greyhound, — a  decided  innovation  on  such  occasions. 
Many  were  the  guesses  as  to  whom  this  huntress  personated. 
Most  of  them  were  in  favor  of  Diana,  but  the  big  grey- 
hound set  the  guessing  all  at  random.  She  evidently  was  not 
a  conventional  Diana.  The  greyhound  symbolized  swift- 
ness, the  laurel  victory.  She  was  Atalanta  Victrix,  the  swift- 
footed  maiden  of  old. 

A  few  days  before  Mr.  Roker  had  banteringly  suggested 


4S6  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

to  her  that  they  o;o  as  a  classical  couple,  mentioning  Pyramus 
and  Thisbe  and  Pygmalion  and  Galatea.  Miss  Ingledce  did 
not  choose  to  adopt  the  suggestion  at  the  time.  Still  she  had 
selected  a  classical  subject.  Mr.  Roker  might  now,  if  he 
chose,  play  the  role  of  Meilanion,  if  he  dared  to  pit  his  craft 
against  her  elusive  agility,  on  the  usual  conditions  thnt  he 
should  lose  his  head  in  case  he  failed. 

At  least  three  persons  in  the  room  recognized  Atalanta 
Victorious.  The  haughty  Spanish  Cavalier  knew  her,  the 
hroad-shouldered  Rustler  could  never  mistake  that  figure;  the 
heart  of  the  modest  Flower  Girl  sank  as  she  saw  before  her 
the  form  of  the  rival  whom  she  feared.  That  rival  appeared 
before  her  in  the  garb  of  a  conqueror,  and  took  her  place  m 
the  grand  march  as  proudly  as  the  Roman  general  rbde  amid 
the  splendors  of  a  triumph  at  the  head  of  his  hardy  legions 
preceded  by  the  spoils  and  the  unhappy  vanquished.  May 
shuddered  as  she  thought  that  perhaps  the  simple  character 
assumed  by  herself  compared  with  the  bold  one  of  Atalanta, 
might  typify  her  own  situation  in  comparison  with  that  of 
Chetta  Ingledee.  She  tried  to  laugh  off  the  disagreeable 
thought,  which  was  very  foolish,  but  it  persisted  in  returning 
unbidden,  like  an  importunate  but  disagreeable  suitor.  When 
she  saw  the  Rustler  offer  his  arm  to  Atalanta,  and  take  his 
place  on  one  side,  while  the  beautiful  greyhound  walked  at 
the  other,  then  her  heart  sank,  and  her  unpleasant  thought 
became  a  presentiment.  There  was  no  more  pleasure  for  her 
that  evening.  In  silence  she  took  the  proffered  arm  of  a 
jolly  monk  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  joined  the  gay  proces- 
sion which,  in  spite  of  herself,  she  imagined  as  a  funeral  pro- 
cession marching  slowly  toward  her  own  grave.  At  this 
gruesome  thought  she  shuddered  so  violently  as  to  surprise 
the  Jolly  monk,  who  inquired  if  she  were  ill. 

The  evening  seemed  interminable  to  May,  and  she  felt 
a  great  relief  when  the  festivities  drew  to  a  close.  Horace 
Roker  was  still  disposed  to  play  the  cavalier,  and  after  the 
uimiasking  was  very  attentive  to  Miss  Ingledee.  Norwell 
noticed  that  his  Prairie  Flower  was  unusually  taciturn  on  the 
way  home.  In  reply  to  his  question  how  she  had  enjoyed 
herself  the  answer  was  simply  that  she  thought  most  of  the 
parts  very  well  performed.  She  had  not  a  word  as  to  her 
own  enjoyment,  and  he  thinking  her  tired,  relapsed  into 
silence  also. 

May   retired  that  night  very  nervous  and  dejected.     She 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  •  4S7 

lay  thinking  for  an  hour  or  more.  Sleep  was  impossible. 
She  rose,  lighted  the  gas,  and  read  over  for  the  third  time  a 
long  letter  from  her  mother.  As  she  perused  that  descrip- 
tion of  the  tropical  beauties  of  Southern  California,  with  its 
luscious  fruits  and  winter  flowers,  she  longed  to  be  there  with 
her  dear  parents,  far  away  from  the  anxieties,  worry,  and 
artificial  glitter  of  this  great  city.  A  sense  of  utter  loneli- 
ness came  over  her,  and  burying  her  face  deep  in  the  pillow, 
she  wept  like  a  child. 

By  degrees  her  troubled  thoughts  grew  calmer,  and  she 
felt  as  if  she  could  sleep,  ^ut  try  as  she  might,  slumber 
would  not  come.  Her  busy  brain  ceaselessly  wove  all  sorts 
of  incongruous  images,  which  blended  themselves  in  unending 
variations.  She  tried  to  devise  some  plan  by  which  she  could 
surely  keep  her  lover  all  to  herself,  but  each  scheme  for  a 
moment  seemed  practicable,  and  the  next  moment  very 
absurd.  Again  and  again  the  grand  march  passed  before  her 
eyes,  close  them  as  she  would,  and  she  shuddered  as  a  fleet- 
ing fancy  suggested  a  hearse  at  the  head  of  the  procession. 
She  grew  vexed  with  herself  and  tried  to  reason  herself  into 
a  calmer  state.  This  pandemonium  was  the  height  of 
absurdity.  By  an  effort  of  the  will  she  would  bid  it  cease. 
But  it  would  not  cease  at  her  command.  It  was  very  foolish 
to  attach  any  importance  to  Norwell's  selecting  Atalanta  as 
a  partner  in  the  march.  It  was  the  right  of  any  gentleman 
to  select  any  lady  before  unmasking.  But  why  had  her 
lover's  eyes  been  keen  enough  to  recognize  Atalanta  among 
all  these  people  in  such  a  variety  of  costumes?  Why  had  he 
not  preferred  th^  Flower  Girl?  Her  heart  grew  sick  as  she 
thought  of  the  possible  answer. 

After  weary  hours  May  fell  into  that  restless  mental  con- 
dition tl'iat  is  neither  sleeping  nor  waking.  She  was  conscious 
that  she  was  not  asleep,  for  her  brain  still  wearily  wove  fleet- 
ing shreds  of  indistinct  ideas  into  absurd  combinations,  and 
yet  she  was  not  awake,  for  she  was  no  longer  fully  conscious 
that  she  ought  to  go  to  sleep.  After  an  indefinite  period  of 
this  wearying  mental  condition  she  woke  with  a  start,  and  sat 
bolt  upright  in  bed.  "  What  do  you  want?"  she  asked  in 
alarm.  There  was  no  answer,  and  she  saw  by  degrees  in  the 
indistinct  light  that  no  one  was  in  the  room.  She  had  clearly 
seen  standing  by  her  bedside  Atalanta  Victorious  in  an  atti- 
tude of  scornful  triumph. 

In  her   first  alarm  she   thought   of  calling   Alice,  but  on 


488  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

reflection  concluded  it  was  best  not  to  do  so.  She  would 
have  to  explai<n  the  cause  of  her  fright,  and  her  pride 
revolted  at  the  idea  of  divulging  her  dire  presentiments  that 
reflected  on  the  loyalty  of  a  lover,  and  would  only  pain  his 
true-hearted  sister.  She  opened  wide  the  window  and  let 
the  cool  night  air  stream  in.  Then  she  grew  calmer  by 
degrees,  and  finally  felt  a  sense  of  cold.  Again  she  sought 
her  pillow  and  was  soon  in  a  deep,  heavy  sleep  that  was 
almost  a  stupor. 

Mrs.  Wilson  and  May  breakfasted  late  next  morning. 
Arthur  had  alieadv  gone  down  town  to  the  oflice,  he  and 
Norvvell  having  lately  engaged  in  the  business  of  stock 
brokers  and  money  lenders.  Mrs.  Wilson  had  lately  ex- 
pressed fears  to  her  husband  concerning  the  condition  of 
May's  health.  She  felt  that  the  girl  was  unhappy,  and 
hinted  that  jjerhaps  her  love  affairs  were  not  in  a  satisfactory 
condition.  She  blamed  her  brother  in  spite  of  her  natural 
tendency  to  shield  him  in  all  things.  Wilson  thought  it  best 
for  her  to  say  nothing  to  Tom,  and  leave  all  to  the  parties 
interested.  So  it  was  agreed  that  nothing  should  be  said  for 
the  present.  But  when  May  came  down  to  breakfast  look- 
ing lired  and  pale,  with  no  appetite  for  the  most  tempting 
viands,  Mrs.  Wilson  determined  to  speak. 

"  May,  I  fear  you  did  not  rest  well  last  night." 

"  No,  I  think  I  was  too  tired  to  sleep." 

"  You  are  not  well." 

"  It  is  nothing  serious,  Mrs.  Wilson,  but  I  must  not  over- 
tax myself  again  with  these  late  parties.  They  tire  me  very 
much." 

"  May,  you  are  not  happv.  Has  Tom  Been  neglectful? 
I   will  speak  to  him  if  you  wish." 

"Oh,  no,  no!"  exclaimed  May.  "You  must  not  do  that. 
Tom  is  very  kind.  I  do  not  expect  him  to  give  up  society 
entirely  for  me." 

"  I  know  you  are  not  well,"  persisted  Alice.  "  Had  you 
not  better  consult  Dr.  Barnet?" 

"  Really,  Alice,  you  are  vely  kind,  but  T  assure  you  I  am 
not  so  ill  as  that." 

She  really  believed  that  nothing  ailed  her  beyond  the 
absurd  fancies  of  the  night,  which  the  daylight  would  dispel. 
That  day  she  wrote  a  long  letter  to  her  parents,  telling  them 
a  great  deal  about  the  masked  ball  and  but  very  little  about 
herself.  No  news  is  bad  news,  for  people  cannot  conceal 
happiness,  let  them  try  never  so  hard. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  489 

Mr.  Horace  Roker  went  home  from  the  party  feehng- 
more  than  usually  well  satisfied  with  himself.  His  wooing 
was  progressing  satisfactorily,  he  thought.  He  was  a  regular 
caller  at  the  Ingledee  residence.  Since  the  death  of  Silas, 
Mr.  Ingledee  had  appeared  to  confide  in  him  more  fully  than 
before.  He  anticipated  no  trouble  in  that  direction.  He  had 
kept  up  his  acquaintance  with  May  Bryce  and  felt  sure  that 
she  and  Norvvell  were  engaged.  After  reflection,  Roker  con- 
cluded that  his  affairs  would  never  be  in  a  more  promising 
condition.     He  determined  to  learn  his  fate. 

With  this  object  in  view  he  called  on  Miss  Ingledee  a  few 
evenings  after  Miss  De  Furrier's  ball.  They  had  the  usual 
talk  about  society  events,  the  theate^-s,  and  current  topics. 
Roker  sang  well,  and  as  Miss  Ingledee  was  very  fond  of 
music  she  often  played  accompaniments  to  his  voice.  Music 
was  about  the  only  thing  in  which  these  two  had  congeniality 
of  tastes.  They  had  sung  more  than  usual  and  talked  a  great 
deal  on  a  variety  of  topics.  It  was  growing  late,  and  still 
Roker  lingered.  At  last  he  plainly  asked  her  to  be  his  wife. 
.She  did  not  blush  and  appear  confused  or  surprised.  Her 
answer  was  brief,  frank  and  unequivocal.  She  did  not  love 
him  and  could  never  marry  him. 

He  had  hardly  expected  a  positive  jyes  at  once,  and  was 
not  willing  to  accept  no.  Assuming  his  most  agreeable 
manner,  he  was  prepared  to  urge  his  claims. 

"Love,"  he  said,  "is  perhaps  slightly  conventional  in  its 
nature.  That  will  all  come  in  due  time.  I  can  give  you  the 
highest  guarantees  of  my  standing,  but,  of  course,  they  would 
be  superfluous.  I  am  highly  respectable,  I  move  in  the  best 
society,  I  flatter  myself  that  I  have  some  degree  of  culture,  I 
have  excellent  health  and  perhaps  a  reasonable  degree  of 
beauty,  though,  of  course,  that  counts  for  nothing  in  a  man," 
he  added  deprecatingly. 

."  Mr.  Roker,  it  is  unnecessary  to  recapitulate  these  things. 
I  understand  them  all." 

"  Are  such  things  not  to  be  considered  in  matrimony  as 
well  as  in  other  important  contracts?" 

"  I  suppose  so.  But  a  man  may  be  all  these  and  yet  lack 
the  qualities  which  a  woman  loves  best.  He  may  be  respect- 
able, cultured,  and  faultless  in  manners,  and  yet" — she  hesi- 
tated. Though  she  had  never  encouraged  this  man  to  place 
himself  in  the  embarrassing  situation  where  he  now  was, 
she  pitied  him  and  would  be  easy  with  him  if  he  would  only 


49©  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

let  her.  But  he  waited  for  her  to  go  on,  and  embarrassing 
as  it  was,  she  was  obliged  to  do  so.  "  A  man  may  be  all 
these,  and  yet  a  woman  wants  real   love  in    return  for  love." 

He  took  up  the  thought  which  she  had  not  fully  ex- 
pressed. "  I  understand  you.  Perhaps  vou  may  think  me 
heartless.  That  would  be  very  proper,  seeing  that  you  have 
my  lieart."  She  did  not  smile  at  tiiis  feeble  little  pun,  but 
waited  for  him  to  continue. 

"  I  assure  you,  Miss  Ingledec,  that  I  am  by  no  means 
heartless  or  indifferent  as  you  think  me.  I  have  my  feelings 
the  same  as  other  men;  I  can  appreciate  worth  in  a  woman 
as  well  as  anybody,  better  than  many."  She  could  scarcely 
deny  this  seeing  that  she  was  his  choice.  "  I  think  love  is  a 
fiction,  a  popular  humbug.  It  is  similarity  of  taste  that  should 
be  considered." 

"  Mr.  Roker,  I   think   our  conversation   is   assuming    the 
form  of  argument.     Love  needs  no  argument." 
-  "  Do  you  doubt  my  sincerity?" 

"  Doubtless  your  offer  is  sincere,  but  you  admit  there  is  no 
love  in  it.  1  have  none  for  you.  Let  the  matter  rest  there, 
since  we  never  can  be  anything  to  each  other." 

"  Miss  Ingledee,  we  have  been  friends  for  a  long  time. 
You  have  listened  to  me  patiently.  May  I  ask  you  yet 
another  question,  hoping  you  will  excuse  an  inquiry  which  is 
of  such  moment  to  me?  " 

"  Go  on,  Mr.  Roker." 

"  Is  your  he;irt  elsewhere?  " 

"  You  have  no  right  to  ask  that  question,  Mr.  Roker." 

"  Miss  Ingledee,  you  have  allowed  things  to  go  so  far — 
please  do  not  misunderstand  me,  I  do  not  say  encouraged  but 
allowed — since  this  is  the  case,  I  believe  I  have  a  right  to  ask 
any  question  that  so  vitally  concerns  myself." 

"  For  the  same  reason  I  shall  decline  to  answer." 

"  Very  well,"  he  said  deliberately,  "  I  shall  then  conclude 
that  there  is  no  other,  and  continue  to  hope  that  you  may 
change  your  mind.  I  have  only  this  to  say  in  conclusion, 
that  for  years  I  have  wished  to  make  you  my  wife.  My 
com-se  has  been  consistent,  and  my  wish  sincere.  There  has 
been  no  simulation.  What  would  you  think  of  the  man 
who  pretended  love  and  did  not  feel  it, — and  who  would 
leave  the  woman  he  thus  deceived  to  pour  a  similar  tale  into 
the  ear  of  another  woman?"  This  speecli  touched  her.  She 
trembled  slightly  as  she  caught  its  covert  meaning. 


AN    IRON    CnOWN.  491 

"  He  would  be  very  base.  Yes  I  think — I've  no  doubt — 
I  know  that  you  have  been  sincere,  Mr.  Roker,  and  1  thank 
you,  but  let  us  mention  this  subject  no  more." 

"  At  present." 

"  Never." 

He  took  his  adieu.  The  shaft  so  cunningly  sped  had 
entered  her  heart.  She  had  no  longer  any  doubt  that  Tom 
Norwell  was  guilty  of  double  dealinj^,  and  she  was  the  last 
one  in  the  world  to  see  it.  Worst  of  all,  she  still  loved  him 
dearly. 


CHAPTER    XLIX. 


THE    DANGER     SIGNAL. 


The  firm  of  Norwell  &  Wilson,  bankers  and  brokers, 
had  been  doing  a  heavy  business.  Norwell  gave  full  rein 
to  his  feverish  desire  to  get  rich  in  a  short  time.  His 
last  venture  in  Chicago  having  been  a  very  lucky  one, 
he  fully  believed  that  in  a  few  years  he  should  again  be 
rich.  Wilson  was  more  cautious,  naturally,  but  less  experi- 
enced in  the  methods  of  transacting  business  in  New  York. 
He  was  guided  largely  by  Norwell's  advice,  though  at  times 
he  had  serious  misgivings  as  to  the  outcome  of  some  of  their 
great  undertakings. 

Wilson's  million  dollars  in  cash  had  mostly  disappeared  in 
loans  and  various  other  channels.  Instead  of  cash  the  vaults 
of  the  firm  were  literally  crammed  with  railroad  and  other 
securities.  Among  the  rest  was  a  large  block  of  "  People's 
Union  Telegraph  "  stock,  which  Wilson  had  bought  when 
the  great  philanthropist  Ophir  had  first  organized  this  public 
benefaction  in  the  interest  of  the  people,  as  a  rival  to  the 
"  National  Union."  The  liabilities  of  the  firm  were  large, 
but  their  assets  indicated  that  the  business  was  on  a  sound 
basis.  But  Wall  street,  like  the  sea,  is  never  in  absolute 
repose.  Now  there  were  symptoms  that  another  of  its  peri- 
odical disturbances  was  at  hand. 

As  a  man  who  was  in  confidential  relations  with  one  of 
the  greatest  of  the  money  kings,  Mr.  Roker  knew  a  thing  or 
two  of  which  he  availed   himself  to  make  a  few  investments 


492  AN    IRON-    CUOWX. 

of  his  own.  He  had  not  at  tlie  time  forcrotten  that  on  a 
former  occasion  Chctta  Ingledee  had  obtained,  as  he  beHeved, 
some  very  important  information.  He  also  suspected  that  she 
was  capable  of  furnishing  this  valuable  knowledge  to  persons 
who  by  no  means  ought  to  have  it.  Saying  nothing  what- 
ever to  any  one,  lie  determined  to  keep  a  very  close  lookout. 

One  day  Chetta  came  into  the  office  as  she  frequently 
did  to  go  to  luncheon  with  her  father,  who  took  her  little 
attentions  as  a  matter  of  course.  They  were  his  due,  but 
since  the  death  of  his  son  Mr.  Ingledee  acted  like  a  man  who 
has  no  other  object  in  life  than  to  fill  it  up,  and  that  could  be 
best  done  by  pursuing  still  more  eagerly  the  old  passion,  Mr. 
Roker  was  present  and  she  exchanged  with  him  the  custom- 
ary salutations,  as  if  they  had  been  only  casual  acquaintances. 
Roker  had  obtained  Ingledee's  permission  to  ask  Chetta's 
hand  in  marriage,  on  the  express  condition  that  the  father 
was  to  use  no  influence  whatever  in  the  case.  His  daughter 
might  inate  to  suit  herself,  provided  she  did  not  contract  a 
foolish  marriage.  When  Mr.  Roker's  suit  had  failed,  for  the 
time  being  at  least,  Ingledee  thought  no  more  about  It. 
Roker  soon  excused  himself,  and  father  and  daughter  were 
left  alone  together. 

"  Papa,  I  came  to  take  you  out  to  lunch.  We'll  have  a 
pleasant  visit  together.     You  need  recreation,  you  look  tired." 

"  I  am  not  tired,  daughter.  We  must  all  grow  old  some- 
time." 

"But  you  must  not  grow  old  so  fast.  Quit  this  office, 
and  then  you  will  grow  young  again."  She  was  bravely 
trying  to  appear  happv,  though  her  own  heart  had  its  sore 
disappointment  which  she  could  never  confide  to  any  one. 

"  Daughter,  quitting  the  business  would  be  like  quitting 
life.     It  can  not  be  done." 

"Of  course  you  love  it,  papa.  But  where  shall  we  go 
to-day?" 

"  Come  to  think  of  it,  Chetta,  I  can  not  go  out  with  you 
to-day.  I  have  an  appointment  at  one-thirty  with  some 
gentlemen." 

"I'll  wait." 

"It  is  important,  and  doubtless  will  take  some  time.  No, 
I  think  you'd  better  come  for  me  to-morrow." 

*'  I'm  so  sorry." 

Just  then  a  messenger  boy  announced  Mr.  Ophir  and  Mr. 
Chrysolite.     Chetta    at    once    withdrew   with   a  suspicion   of 


AN    IKON    CKOWN.  493 

what  the  important  business  was,  and  her  anger  flamed  hot 
instantly.  Slie  was  ashamed  for  her  father  antl  herself.  Her 
feelings  of  right  were  outraged.  She  wished  that  she  had 
never  returned  to  enjoy  this  hateful  wealth.  But  when  she 
thought  of  her  powerlessness  to  stay  this  dangerous  tide  that 
was  undermining  gradually  the  well-being  of  the  community 
and  of  her  duty  to  a  bereaved  father,  she  grew  calmer,  and 
resolved  to  bear  her  burdens  and  do  her  duty  as  best  she  could. 

Horace  Roker  saw  her  go  out  immediately  after  the 
entrance  of  Messrs.  Ophir  and  Chrysolite.  He  too,  was 
thinking.  Putting  on  his  hat  as  if  to  go  to  lunch,  he  passed 
into  the  street  and  took  the  same  direction  as  that  pursued  by 
the  young  lady.  In  fact,  he  never  lost  sight  of  Miss  Ingle- 
dee  until  she  entered  Pipe  Malle)^  &  Co.'s  store.  Roker 
loitered  in  the  vicinity  to  see  what  would  happen.  Chetta 
staid  in  the  store  but  a  few  minutes  when  she  reappeared 
with  a  small  package  of  fruit  in  her  hand  and  walked  quickly 
toward  Broadway.  There  she  took  an  up- town  omnibus. 
Roker  still  suspected  that  some  communication  would  be 
made  with  Tom  Norwell.  Under  pretence  of  business  he 
went  round  to  the  offices  of  Norwell  &  Wilson,  to  see  if 
Quill  Malley  brought  a  note.  But  after  talking  over  with 
Wilson,  Norwell  being  absent,  every  possible  phase  of  the 
transaction  concerning  which  he  had  ostensibly  called,  and 
making  all  possible  delay,  no  message  came. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  he  went  round  again  under  pretence 
that  he  had  forgotten  to  mention  a  particular  point.  Then  he 
casually  mentioned  certain  stocks,  among  them  C.  &  P.,  Mid- 
land, Gridiron  and  People's  Telegraph.  He  learned  what  he 
wished  to  know,  namely,  that  the  firm  of  Norwell  &  Wilson 
had  not  put  their  large  holdings  on  the  market.  Just  as  he 
was  ready  to  leave.  Quill  Malley  entered  and  inquired  for 
Tom  Norwell,  saying  he  had  a  message  for  him.  "  Mr.  Nor- 
well has  just  gone  for  the  da\-,"  replied  Wilson,  "but  he  will 
be  at  our  house  for  dinner.  I'll  give  you  Iiis  address,  No.  19 
Amsterdam  Place.  Here  is  mine,"  and  Wilson  produced  a 
card;  "if  he  is  not  at  his  lodgings,  go  direct  to  that  address. 
If  there  is  no  hurry  I'll  take  it  for  you,  young  man."  Quill, 
howexer,  was  not  inclined  to  intrust  the  note  to  other  hands. 
He  went  out,  and  Roker  immediately  followed  him.  Some 
distance  up  the  street  Roker  quickened  his  pace  and  overtook 
Quill,  who  was  now  a  tall,  strapping  boy,  almost  a  man's 
height. 


494 


AN     IKON    CROWN. 


"  Hold  on  there,  Malley,"  he  called  out  in  a  subdued  tone. 

Quill  gave  a  sudden  start  and  shied  away  toward  the 
other  side  of  the  pavement.  Though  he  was  grown  so  large, 
he  had  never  outgrown  his  fear  of  this  man  who  once  had  so 
thoroughly  held  him  in  his  power. 

"I'm  in  a  hurry,"  he  answered,  moving  on. 

"  I  used  to  know  you,"  continued  Roker. 

"Guess  yer  did,"  said  Quill,  perceptibly  quickening  his 
pace. 

"You  used  to  do  some  business  for  me." 

"Wot  if  I  did?"  replied  Quill  sullenly.  "There's  no  use 
a  castin'  them  there  old  -things  up."  Quill  could  not  quite 
free  his  mind  from  the  apprehension  that  perhaps  some  of  his 
other  shortcomings  might  be  "cast  up,"  too,  and  perhaps  the 
lock-up  might  be  mentioned  before  the  interview  ended. 

"I  meant  no  harm,"  said  Roker.  "I  only  wondered  if 
you're  in  the  same  line  now." 

"  I'm  workin'  fur  the  firm  on  a  poorty  good  sal'ry  now," 
was  the  evasive  rejoinder. 

"  Of  course  it  would  pay  well,  and  not  be  hard." 

"  Well,  wot  is  it  anyhow.^     Wot  are  ye  drivin'  at?" 

"  Do  you  want  to  make  five  dollars?" 

"  Do  you  take  me  fur  a  blamed  fool?  You  bet  I'll  make 
five  dollars  if  I  kin." 

"You  have  a  note  for  Tom  Norwell."  Quill  started;  he 
had  not  seen  Roker  in  the  office. 

"  How  did  you  ketch  onto  that?" 

"No  difference  how.  I'll  give  you  five  dollars  to  let  me 
see  it." 

"  It's  personal  an'  pertickler." 

"  That  makes  no  difference.  I'll  only  look  at  the  hand- 
writing." 

"  Gimme  the  five  dollars  first." 

Quill  eagerly  took  the  attractive  little  slip  of  green  paper, 
and  handed  Roker  the  note.  That  gentleman's  scalp  darted 
forward  at  an  alarming  rate,  as  he  recognized  the  fiimiliar 
handwriting  and  address,  "  Mr.  Thomas  Norwell,  Present." 
Quill  was  a  little  alarmed,  lest  the  gentleman  in  an  unguarded 
moment  should  turn  his  head  completely  inside  out.  Roker 
looked  at  the  address,  then  turning  the  envelope  over,  noticed 
that  the  writer  had,  either  through  carelessness  or  haste,  left 
it  unsealed,  and  the  flap  was  not  tucked  in. 

"I  want  to  read  this,  Malley." 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  495 

"  Looky  hyur,  Mister,  that  isn't  fair.  You  said  you  was 
only  goin'  to  look  at  the  han'writin'." 

"  I  must  read  it,"  said  Roker,  as  he  moved  a  few  feet  back 
into  the  entrance  of  an  alley  where  he  would  not  be  so  readily 
observed  by  people  passing-. 

"  Now  look}'  hyur,"  remonstrated  Quill,  as  Roker  unfolded 
the  note.  "  That's  not  the  square  thing.  She  would  be  awful 
mad  if  she  knowed  it.  You  said  you  wanted  to  see  the  writin'. 
People  gits  into  trouble  a  openin'  other  people's  letters." 

"Not  if  it's  never  found  out.  Keep  still.  Here's  another 
five.  Now  do  you  suppose  you  are  ever  going  to  say  any- 
thing about  it?" 

"You  kin  bet  yer  bottom  dollar  I  hain't.  I  wont  never 
breathe  it  to  a  mortal  soul,"  protested  Mr.  Quill  Malley,  as  he 
slipped  the  crumpled  bill  into  his  pocket  beside  the  other. 
Roker's  argument  was  very  short  and  very  convincing.  The 
missive,  which  Roker  had  been  so  anxious  to  see,  was  appar- 
ently in  itself  veiy  innocent.     It  read  simply: 

"Mr.  Norwell: 

Can  you  call  this  evening  for  a  few  minutes?  I  wish  particularly 
to  see  you.  I  have  something  to  tell  you  in  which  you  are  greatly  in- 
terested.    Do  not  fail  to  come. 

Chetta   Ingledee." 

"  When  did  she  give  you  this  note?" 

"  This  afternoon.  She  said  I  was  to  take  it  to  the  office 
before  three  o'clock,  but  Pipe  sent  me  on  a  urrint,  an'  I 
didn't  git  there  in  time.  So  I'm  takin'  it  up  to  his  boardin' 
house." 

''Here  take  it  and  be  lively,  and  remember  if  anything 
happens  you  can  be  locked  up  for  this  piece  of  business." 

-  With  this  little  piece  of  gratuitous  consolation  from  Mr. 
Roker,  Quill  started  on  his  errand  up  town.  But  this  inno- 
cent-looking note  had  not  yet  performed  its  full  measure  of 
mischief.  Ringing  the  bell  at  Wilson's  residence,  having  pre- 
viously gone  to  19  Amsterdam  Place  to  find  that  Norwell 
had  gone  out.  Quill  Malley  was  met  at  the  door  by  May 
Bryce,  who  sometimes  answered  the  bell  herself,  not  having 
fully  settled  into  the  city  habit  of  delegating  the  most  trivial 
duties  to  servants. 

"Does  IMr.  Norwell  live  here?      I've  a  note  fur  'im." 

"  No,  Mr.  Wilson  lives  here.  But  Mr.  Norwell  will  be 
here  soon.     I  will  deliver  the  note." 

Quill  handed  her  the  note  unhesitatingly  and  took  his  de- 


^,y6  AN     IKON    CKOWN. 

partuic.  May  Bryce  had  never  been  quite  herself  since  that 
ominous  night  when  she  started  from  her  bed,  confronting  the 
spectral  Atalanta.  Her  cheeks  were  thinner,  and  a  round 
spot  on  each  showed  a  fahil  tinge  of  deeper  color  scarcely 
noticeable.  Her  tender  blue  eyes  looked  larger  and  brighter 
than  usual.  She  protested  to  Alice  Wilson  that  she  was  still 
in  usual  health,  altliough  the  latter  had  finally  persuaded  her 
guest  to  consult  Dr.  Barnet.  The  Doctor  had  carefully  diag- 
nosed her  case.  He  ha"d  subjected  her  chest  to  a  most  careful 
auscultation,  employing  the  stethescope.  He  inquired  particu- 
larly about  how  she  rested  at  night,  and  asked  casually  if  her 
parents  were  living,  the  state  of  their  health,  and  of  what  dis- 
eases their  immediate  relatives  had  died. 

jSIay  remembered  the  fear  that  possessed  her  years  before, 
and  knew  perfectly  well  the  drift  of  the  doctor's  remarks. 
But  she  felt  so  little  ailment,  except  an  annoying  sense  of  lassi- 
tude, that  she  supposed  his  diagnosis  had  led  him  to  mistake 
her  disease.  The  doctor  on  his  part  looked  very  thoughtful, 
and  said  little.  He  merely  remarked  that  the  patient's  system 
needed  toning  up,  prescribed  a  tonic,  advised  a  light,  nutritious 
diet,  and  specially  enjoined  plenty  of  exercise  in  the  open  air, 
and  retiring  early.  May  lelt  greatly  relieved  to  think  that 
her  case  was  not  serious,  though  this  impres.>.ion  was  her  own 
inference  rather  than  a  legitimate  deduction  from  anything 
the  doctor  had  said.  Mrs.  Wilson  remained  secretly  anxious, 
and  was  on  the  point  of  speaking  to  Tom  about  it  a  half  dozen 
times,  but  her  husband  uniformly  advised  her  not  to  engage 
in  such  a  delicate  aflair  until  there  seemed  a  necessity  for  it. 

The  oidy  real  tiouble  that  May  acknowledged  to  herself, 
was  the  fact  tliat  her  lover's  conduct  continued  inexplicable. 
He  still  called  often;  he  was  still  devoted  ;  he  sometimes  alluded 
to  their  engagement,  but  he  seemed  no  more  disposed  to  have 
the  wedding  day  fixed  than  at  the  time  of  their  betrothal  some 
years  before.  Sometimes  she  took  what  she  called  a  "foolish 
crying  fit."  Was  it  any  wonder  that  this  gentle,  affectionate 
girl,  separated  from  parents,  without  brothers  and  sisters,  with- 
out a  single  intimate  friend  of  her  own  age  and  sex,  alone  in 
a  great  city,  in  spite  of  the  bustle  and  gayety  around  her, 
should  at  times  feel  inexpressibly  lonely  and  desolate?  She 
could  not  seek  relief  from  her  doubts  and  fears  by  confiding 
them  to  her  lover.  She  would  not,  for  the  world,  have  him 
know  that  she  had  any  such  doubts.  When  he  noticed  her 
serious,  thoughtful   expression,   now  grown  habitual,  she  as- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  ^97 

sured  him  that  she  was  a  woman  now,  and  not  so  giddy  as  she 
used  to  be.  Neither  could  she  confide  in  Alice  fully  without 
censuring  her  lover.  Once  in  her  anguish  of  soul,  she  ex- 
claimed to  Mrs.  Wilson: 

"Alice,  I  can't  tell  why,  but  I  feel  as  if  we  never  shall  be 
married.     Something   dreadful   is  going  to   happen." 

"  Poor  dear,  you  mustn't  feel  so.  You  are  nervous. 
Things  will  be  all  right  yet,  I'm  sure."  But  Alice  did  not 
feel  the  confidence  she  expressed.  She  suspected  Tom,  and 
blamed  him.  Such  conduct  she  thought  inexcusable.  Her 
heart  went  out  in  sympathy  for  her  patient,  ill-treated  friend. 

May  took  the  note,  and  recognized  that  it  was  in  a 
woman's  hand.  She  also  noticed  that  it  was  unsealed.  A 
great  temptation  assailed  her.  She  would  like  to  read  it. 
She  blushed  with  shame  to  think  that  she  had  been  guilty  of 
any  desire  to  read  her  lover's  private  correspondence.  She 
laid  it  on  the  mantelpiece  in  the  parlor  and  sat  down  again  to 
the  book  she  had  been  reading.  Soon  she  laid  the  book 
down  and  again  looked  at  the  note.  Her  heart  was  beating 
wildly.  She  glanced  round  hastily,  no  one  was  near.  She 
trembled  like  an  aspen,  not  entirely  at  the  culpability  of  the 
comparatively  trivial  act  she  was  about  to  commit,  but  at  the 
fear  that  she  might  really  discover  something  terrible  within 
that  plain  white  envelope.  On  second  thought  she  felt  justi- 
fied, for  was  not  her  own  happiness,  her  very  life,  in  truth,  at 
stake? 

She  opened  the  letter  and  read  its  brief  contents  hastily.  It 
stabbed  her  to  the  heart,  but  she  did  not  shriek  out.  She  did 
not  go  into  a  frenzy  of  passion  or  a  paroxysm  of  weeping. 
She  realized  that  a  sacrifice  was  demanded,  and  all  she  could 
do  was  to  prepare  herself.  It  was  a  sacrifice  that  would 
profit  no  one  and  break  the  hearts  of  her  fond  parents.  She 
folded  the  note,  not  knowing  what  she  did,  and  placed  it 
back  on  the  mantelpiece.  For  a  few  minutes  the  unhappy 
girl  seemed  unable  to  think.  She  sat  down  in  a  chair,  mur- 
muring to  herself,  "  False,  false,  and  I  loved  him  so  much. 
My  presentiment  will  become  a  realit)'."  Then  she  rose  and 
walked  slowly  and  painfully  up  the  broad  stairway  to  her 
own  room.  The  effort  seemed  to  tax  her  energies.  She  sat 
down, gasping  for  breath.  "How  could  he  be  so  cruel?"  she 
mused.     "  I  would  have  died  for  him." 

Then  she  threw  herself  on  the  bed  and  burst  into  tears. 
Dinner  was  now  ready,  but  she  could  never  go  down  to  meet 


49^  AN    IRON    CUOWN. 

him.  A  servant  came  to  tell  her  they  were  waiting.  She 
excused  herself  with  the  plea  that  she  had  a  very  severe 
headache.  She  rose,  and  was  bathing  her  face  in  cold  water 
when  Mrs.  \Vilson  came  up. 

"  May,  are  you  not  coming  down  to  dinner?  Tom  has 
come." 

"  No,  I  do  not  feel  able.     Please  excuse  me." 

"  Shall  I  send  you  up  a  cup  of  tea?" 

"  No,  nothing,  thank   you." 

They  dined  without  her,  and  the  occasion  was  not  a 
cheerful  one.  The  evening  wore  away,  and  still  May  did 
not  make  her  appearance.  Tom  Norwell  sent  his  love  up 
by  his  sister,  and  then  May  remembered  that  she  had  not 
told  them  of  the  note.  Alice  came  down  stairs  and  handed 
it  to  him.  He  seemed  surprised  at  its  cpntents,  but  merely 
retnarked:  "  An  invitation  for  this  evening.  It  comes  too 
late,  however." 

Chetta  Ingledee  was  disappointed  that  Tom  Norwell  had 
neither  called  nor  answered  her  note.  She  concluded  that 
perhaps  he  did  not  think  it  pressing,  and  would  come  at  his 
leisure.  She  felt  sure,  however,  that  no  time  was  to  be  lost. 
She  was  confident  that  there  was  trouble  ahead,  and  she 
would  warn  her  friend  at  all  hazards.  That  afternoon  she 
went  down  town  and  inquired  for  Mr,  Norwell.  He  hap- 
pened to  be  in  his  private  office  and  she  was  shown  in. 

"Good-afternoon,  Miss  Ingledee.  •  Take  a  seat.  I  must 
apologize  for  not  answering  your  note  sooner.  I  received  it 
too  late  to  answer  in  person." 

"Too  late!  Why,  I  gave  it  to  Quill  Malley  about  one 
o'clock,  to  be  delivered  at  once." 

"He  delivered  it  at  Wilson's  about  half-past  three,  and  by 
mistake  I  did  not  get  it  till  after  nine." 

"That  is  very  strange." 

"  What  can  I  do  for  you.  Miss  Ingledee?" 

"  I  came  to  speak  on  a  matter  which  is  not  exactly  busi- 
ness, and  yet" — here  she  paused.  Norwell  assured  her  that 
he  was  at  her  service  whatever  the  matter  might  be. 

"I  don't  know,"  she  continued,  hesitatingly,  "that  I 
should  speak  at  all,  for  I  may  be  mistaken.  Of  course,  what 
I  say  is  confidential."  He  sat  looking  at  her  greatly  puzzled, 
but  made  no  reply. 

"  There  is  going  to  be  some  kind  of  move  in  the  stock 
market,  I  think.      Protect  yourselves." 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  499 

"Oh!"  This  little  interjection  expressed  a  great  deal. 
Norwell  was  surprised  that  the  expected  revelation  was  so 
insignificant  and  was  moreover  a  little  hurt  to  think  that  a 
woman  should  come  in  that  way  to  advise  the  firm  of  Nor- 
well &  Wilson.  His  feelings  were  something  like  those  of 
the  man  who  sees  the  woman  at  his  side  attempt  to  take  the 
lines  when  the  horses  get  frightened.  He  secretly  resented 
the  proffered  assistance. 

"  Miss  Ingledee,  we  are  always  looking  carefully  to  our 
interests.     I  think  we  have  our  business  in  very  good  shape." 

"  That  may  be,  but  you  know,  Mr.  Norwell,  that  there 
is  a  great  money  power  all  around  you,  and  money  is 
merciless." 

"  Very  true.    We  shall  observe  any  unusual  movements." 

"  I  do  not  know  much  of  such  things,  but  T  surmise  there 
is  some  great  movement  afoot.  I  say  it  in  confidence.  I 
could  tell  no  one  else.     Now  you  cannot  be  surprised." 

"  I  thank  you.  Miss  Ingledee,  very  much  for  your  trouble. 
It  is  very  kind  of  you." 

She  saw  by  his  tone  that  he  did  not  thank  her  at  all.  She 
rose  and  left,  conscious  of  having  done  her  duty  by  her  oldest, 
dearest  friend.  She  thought  of  her  father,  too,  but  the 
thought  of  him  in  nowise  shook  her  belief  that  she  had  done 
right.  But  her  good  intentions  had  not  been  well  received. 
She  saw  plainly  that  Norwell  resented  her  well-meant  efforts 
in  his  behalf.  She  left  the  office  convinced,  as  she  never  had 
been  before,  that  Norwell  had  never  really  loved  her.  Her 
pride  revolted  at  the  humiliation  she  had  endured,  and  she 
resolved  to  forget  him.  Tom  Norwell  could  never  be  any- 
thing to  her  again. 

As  Chetta  left  the  office,  John  Wright  entered.  As  we 
have  seen,  Norwell  had  become  acquainted  with  him  through 
Little  Hackett.  He  was  shown  into  the  private  office.  He 
wished  to  inquire  of  Norwell,  with  whom  he  felt  a  sort  of 
confidential  relation,  whether  he  had  better  sell  out  a  certain 
holding  of  railroad  stocks  in  which  his  little  savings  were 
invested.  A  friend  of  his  who  had  a  cousin  in  a  broker's 
office  had  by  that  means  heard  a  rumor  that  stocks  of  all 
kinds  might  suffer  a  decline. 

"  We  will  sell  for  you  any  time  you  wish,"  said  Norwell. 
"  Your  stock  is  here  in  the  vaults.  We  will  give  you  that  if 
you  wish  it." 

"  I  don't  hardly  know    what  to  do,"  said  Wright,  hesitat- 


500  AN    IRON    CKOWN. 

ing.  He  had  attempted  something  of  which  he  was  entirely 
ignorant.  He  was  alarmed  about  the  result,  but  utterly 
powerless  to  foresee  consequences  or  avert  them.  He  had 
done  a  dangerous  thing.  The  man  who  puts  himself  wholly 
into  the  power  of  another  has  placed  a  rope  around  his  own 
neck.  He  lias  done  as  foolish  a  thing  as  that  man  on  board 
a  burning  ship  who  loans  his  life  preserver.  Wright's  little 
all  was  at  stake,  and  he  was  anxious.  The  alarm  of  the 
ignorant  and  the  lowly  is  more  sudden,  more  clamorous, 
more  unreasoning  than  that  of  the  worldly  wise. 

"  Do  you  want  your  money,  Mr.  Wright?" 

"  I  can't  say,  sir.     How  much  is  it  now?" 

"  If  you  sell  now  your  two  thousand  will  bring  you  twen- 
ty-five hundred." 

"  To  lose  it  would  ruin  us  all.  It  would  kill  Sarah,  I 
think,  for  most  of  it  come  by  her.  Mr.  Norwell,  what  would 
you  do  if  you  was  a  poor  man  in  the  same  fix?" 

"  Mr.  Wright,  it  is  hardly  our  duty  to  advise.  We  simply 
follow  orders.  If  you  say  sell,  we  sell.  I  have  told  you 
just  what  you  can  get.     If  \'ou  say  hold  on,  we  hold  on." 

"  I  hardl}'  know  what's  best,"  said  Wright,  as  he  rarT  his 
fingers  through  his  whiskers  incessantly.  A  prolonged  period 
of  operating  in  stocks  would  certainly  have  left  him  whis- 
kerless. 

"  Do  you  want  my  opinion  on  the  future  of  that  stock?" 

"  I'd  be  much  obliged,"  replied  Wright,  as  he  pulled  out 
an  unusually  long  whisker  and  drew  it  nervously  between  his 
thumb  and  finger,  watching  it  curl,  then  straightening  it  out, 
only  to  subject  it  to  a  more  vigorous  curling. 

"  I  think  that  the  stock  will  not  go  lower,  and  is  very 
likely  to  go  higher." 

"Then  I'll  leave  it  in,  if  you  say  so." 

"  But  really,  Mr.  Wright,  I  don't  say  so,  you  must  decide 
for  yourself." 

This  was  like  asking  Wright  to  decide  a  disputed  point 
in  Hindoo  philosophy.  He  gave  his  beard  another  raking 
that  threatened  to  devastate  one  side  of  his  face,  and  help- 
lessly ejaculated: 

"  Well,  I  don't  exactly  know  what's  best.  Still  you 
ought  to  know  best,  and  sence  you  say  so,  I  guess  I'll  hold 
on  to  it." 

"  It's  only  my  opinion,  understand." 

"  Well,  maybe  I'll  decide  by  next  week,  an'  I'll  drop  in 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  50I 

an'  let  you  know."  Then  he  passed  out,  with  precious  little 
more  ease  of  mind  than  he  had  when  he  entered.  At  the 
door  he  hesitated,  turned  round,  looked  in,  then  looked  across 
the  street,  then  looked  in  again,  and  placed  his  hand  on  the 
door  knob,  and  finally  left,  :ill  in  doubt  as  to  what  he  should 
have  done,  and  half  regretting  that  he  had  not  done  differ- 
ently. The  speculator  seldom  takes  his  ease  on  a  bed  of 
roses. 


CHAPTER  L. 

MR.     ROKER     SPRINGS     A     MINE. 

When  important  information  was  to  be  obtained  at  all, 
Horace  Roker  usually  had  it.  He  had  known  for  several 
days  that  some  of  the  great  money  kings,  including  his 
employer,  were  about  to  make  a  raid  on  certain  stocks,  and 
that  the  bulls  and  bears  of  Wall  street  were  to  engage  in 
another  set  to.  Mr.  Roker  had  quietly  invested  a  large  sum 
of  money  on  his  own  account.  He  was  already  a  rich  man, 
and  rapidly  growing  richer.  He  knew  now,  almost  to  a  cer- 
tainty, that  Chetta  Ingledee  was  inimical  to  her  father's 
interests,  although  the  intercepted  note  which  he  had  read 
was  so  very  vague  in  its  terms. 

He  determined  to  watch  this  affair  carefully.  If  he  suc- 
ceeded in  detecting  anything  that  savored  of  treachery  on  the 
part  of  the  young  lady  toward  her  father,  he  would  accom- 
plish an  important  object.  If  he  were  the  first  to  make  it 
known,  he  might,  perhaps,  avert  a  domestic  explosion,  and  at 
the  same  time  furnish  a  very  convincing  proof  that  some  dis- 
position should  be  made  of  so  dangerous  and  insidious  a  foe. 
In  such  a  contingency,  he  thought  there  would  be  little  diffi- 
culty in  securing  the  active  co-operation  of  Mr.  Ingledee  in 
that  long  cherished  matrimonial  scheme.  Nothing  was  more 
natural  than  that  Mr.  Ingledee  should  advance  the  interests  of 
the  man  who  had  so  carefully  looked  to  the  interests  of  Mr. 
Ingledee. 

Roker  set  about  the  delicate  and  difficult  task  of  finding 
out,  if  possible,  what  Chetta  Ingledee  had  told  Tom  Norwell. 
As  a  first  step,  he  would  carefully  sound  Norwell  under  the 


503 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


guise  of  business,  as  to  whether  the  firm  had  disposed  of  cer- 
tain stocks  that  were  to  be  raided.  With  this  design,  he  called 
at  the  offices  of  Norwell  &  Wilson,  and  had  a  rather  pro- 
tracted interview  with  Tom  Norwell  himself.  Tlicse  two 
men  had  always  been  on  speaking  terms,  though  neither 
liked  the  other.  Norwell  thought  Rnker  a  schemer,  though 
never  suspecting  half  his  duplicity,  and  resented  his  attentions 
to  Chetta  Ingledee,  even  while  admitting  that  he  himself  hail 
no  right  to  stand  in  the  way.  On  the  other  hand,  Roker 
hated  Norwell  as  a  dangerous  rival. 

Norwell  was  polite,  but  not  communicative.  After  con- 
siderable adroit  maneuvering,  Roker  felt  satisfied  that  if  the 
firm  had  been  warned  they  had  not  profited  to  any  extent  by 
the  information.  Then  he  hazarded  another  step  by  inquring 
carelessly : 

"  By  the  way,  Mr.  Norwell,  have  you  seen  our  friend 
Miss  Ingledee  lately  r  " 

Norwell  looked  at  him  curiously  for  a  moment,  and  then 
replied : 

"  I  do  not  see  Miss  Ingledee  often  of  late.  Perhaps  you 
could  give  me  information  concerning  her.  I  hear  you  are 
rather  attentive  in  that  direction." 

"  Well,  yes,  I  am  on  a  friendly  footing  there." 

"  I  suppose  I  may  congratulate  you  then?  " 

"No,"  disclaimed  Roker,"  hardly  that  yet.  Sometime, per- 
haps." Roker  felt  that  he  was  on  dangerous  ground,  and 
that  any  confidential  communications  between  Chetta  and 
Norwell  would  place  him  in  a  very  humiliating  position. 
But  he  had  no  fears  now  of  any  understanding  between 
them,  and  since  Norwell  was  off  the  track  it  was  best  to 
shunt  him  comj^letely  into  the  ditch. 

"  Since  congratulations  on  such  occasions  are  in  order," 
continued  Norwell,  "  I  suppose  the  young  lady  is  to  be  con- 
gratulated too." 

"  What  am  I  to  understand  by  that  insinuation?" 

"Speaking  plainly,  I  mean  that  she  is  too  good  for  you." 

"  Indeed!     It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  say  so." 

"  She  is  a  warm-hearted,  noble  woman." 

"  So  much  the  better  for  the  man  who  gets  her.  I  sup- 
pose, Mr.  Norwell,  you  think  I  am  incapable  of  appreciating 
such  qualities,  since  you  are  so  good  as  to  intimate  that  I  lack 
them  myself." 

"I  intimated  nothing  of  the  sort,  but  since  you  admit  it, 


AN    IROK   CROWN.  503 

Mr.  Roker,  we  will  agree  that  you  do  lack  them.  You 
ought  to  keep  your  selfishness  to  yourself  instead  of  imposing 
it  on  others."  Norwell  was  plainly  losing  control  of  his 
temper  in  allowing  himself  to  be  dragged  into  such  a  conver- 
sation at  all.  His  bitterness  of  feeling,  however,  originated 
in  a  generous  Impulse,  for  since  he  could  not  marry  Chetta 
Ingledee  he  would  like  her  to  get  a  husband  who  was  worthy 
of  her.  It  was  Roker's  turn  now  to  make  a  terrible  retort. 
His  long  pent  up  resentment  was  no  longer  to  be  restrained, 
and  he,  unfortunately,  was  prepared  to  inflict  a  terrible  blow. 

"  Mr.  Norwell,  since  we  are  bestowing  confidences,  and 
speaking  plainly,  you  will  pardon  me  if  I  allude  to  some 
events  in  your  own  history.  You  have  called  me  heartless, 
and  I  shall  not  deny  it.  Now  what  do  you  say  of  the  man 
who  leads  a  young,  confiding  girl  on  step  by  step  till  she 
loves  him?  teaches  her  by  degrees  to  love  him  better  than 
her  own  life  and  then  deliberately  inflicts  upon  her  the  most 
cruel  suffering  which  the  human  heart  is  capable  of  experi- 
encing, the  pangs  of  jealousy  and  neglected  love?  What  is 
such  a  man?  Is  he  heartless?"  Norwell  had  listened  in 
astonishment  to  what  seemed  like  a  revelation. 

"Roker,"  at  length  he  said,  in  evident  distress,  "  you  are 
mistaken.  People  may  have  talked,  but  I  never  led  Miss 
Ingledee  on." 

"Mr.  Norwell,  stop  and  think.  Is  that  man  kind  who 
wins  the  heart  of  a  gentle,  unsuspecting  girl,  a  girl  who  is  as 
pui'e  as  an  angel,  and  who  devotes  her  very  life  to  the  man 
she  loves,  and  then  deliberately  trifles  with  her  love  till  her 
poor  heart  turns  to  ashes,  and  the  fountains  of  life  run  low — 
is  that  man  kind?" 

"  My  God,  man!     What  do  you  mean?" 

"  I  mean  May  Bryce." 

"No!  No!  It  is  false!  I  have  never  done  this.  I  love 
her  truly." 

"  Then  you  have  committed  one  of  the  greatest  wrongs 
man  can  commit  against  woman.  You  have  repaid  devotion 
with  indifference  and  neglect." 

"It  is  false.     I  love  her  still." 

"  Then  why  do  you  delay  marrying  her?  " 

"  Mr.  Roker,  if  you  will  excuse  my  saying  so,  that  is  my 
own  affair." 

"  It  is  not  your  own  affair.  If  you  ever  intend  to  marry 
her  you  must  do  it  at  once." 


504  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"What  do  yoii  mean?"  inquired  Norwell  anxiously.  "  Do 
not  keep  me  in  suspense." 

"  Can  you  not  see  for  yourself  that  the  rose  has  faded 
from  her  cheek,  and  the  elasticity  from  her  step?  Your 
betrothed  has  only  a  few  months  to  live." 

"  Oh  God!"  exclaimed  Norwell,  springing  from  his  seat. 
"  Is  it  so  bad  as  that?  I  kno\V  she  is  not  strong.  No,  Roker 
you  are  trifling  with  me.  This  is  a  most  cruel  anil  cowardly 
revenge." 

Great  drops  of  sweat  stood  on  the  forehead  of  the 
imhappy  man.  Roker  could  not  have  inflicted  a  more  sudden 
and  awful  revenge  on  his  rival.  Even  his  cokl  heart 
seemed  to  soften  in  this  hour  of  triumph.  He  said  in  gentler 
tone,  though  every  word  was  a  knell  in  the  ear  of  the 
unhappy  man  before  him: 

"  Norwell,  I  have  spoken  the  truth.  Your  betrothed  has 
but  a  short  time  on  earth.  Go  to  her.  Comfort  her  few  re- 
maining days,  for  only  j'ou  can  do  it.  If  I  misjudged  vou,  I 
beg  your  panlon  for  it." 

"  God  forgive  me,  has  it  come  to  this;  I  thank  you,  Roker, 
for  telling  me  this.  No  it  can  not  be.  You  are  mistaken. 
Oh,  how  blind  I  have  been.  Why  didn't  you  take  your 
revenge  sooner?  I  thank  you.  But,"  he  exclaimed  with  the 
energy  of  a  sudden  hope,  "  I'll  save  her  yet.  She  must  not 
die." 

"I  hope  she  may  recover  full  health,"  said  Roker,  as  he 
quietly  took  his  hat  and  left  the  office. 

Norwell  closed  the  door  and  sat  down  to  think.  This 
cruel  blow  had  been  so  quick  and  dreadful  that  it  inflicted  the 
keenest  pangs  of  mental  agony.  He  saw  the  terril')le  conse- 
quences as  pictured  by  Roker.  He  could  not  realize  how  they 
had  been  brought  about.  By  degrees  his  ideas  grew  clearer. 
Little  by  little  the  mist  that  obscured  his  mental  vision  was 
withdrawn,  and  he  saw  distinctly  just  as  one  sees  through  a 
slowly-dissolving  fog  the  form  of  a  great  ship  which  at  first 
is  only  a  spectral  craft;  the  outline  of  the  sails  may  be  detected 
first;  next  the  masts,  and  finally  the  whole  view,  ship,  sails, 
masts,  sailors,  all  stand  out  in  the  clear  light,  one  j^erfcct  pic- 
ture. Norwell  understood  now,  with  painful  distinctness, 
things  which  had  passed  unnoticed  before,  or  which  had 
puzzled  hi  in. 

He  saw  clearly  why  May  had  so  often  brought  up  the 
subject  of  their  wedding  day.     He  could  not  understand  why 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  505 

one  so  young  should  display  what  seemed  to  him  such  unnec- 
essary anxiety,  and  wish  to  hasten  the  auspicious  day.  There 
was  plenty  of  time,  for  hoth  were  still  young.  His  sister's 
hints  concerning  long  engagements  were  very  plain  now. 
The  slight  loss  of  ilesh  and  the  brilliance  of  the  eye  that  he 
thought  only  enhanced  the  beauty  of  his  beloved,  now  had  a 
new  and  terrible  meaning.  They  were  only  the  visible  marks 
of  an  insidious,  deadly  disease.  Her  remark  once  made  in 
their  sweet  confidence  that  it  would  kill  her  to  lose  him,  sud- 
denly flashed  across  his  mind  in  its  true  and  terrible  sig- 
nificance. In  an  agony  of  remorse  he  groaned  aloud:  "  It 
may  be  too  late.  How  cruel  I  have  been.  I  have  crushed 
the  life  out  of  the  beautiful  flower  I  promised  to  nourish." 
Then  hope,  which  springs  forever  in  the  human  breast,  came 
to  his  relief.  "  It  cannot  be  too  late.  I  will  marry  her  at 
once,  and  happiness  will  bring  her  back  to  health.  No,  it 
cannot  be  so  bad.     Roker  is  mistaken." 

Wilson  entered  to  consult  his  partner  on  important  busi- 
ness, but  found  to  his  surprise  that  Norwell  could  not  talk 
business.  He  would  suddenly  start  and  ask  his  partner  what 
he  had  been  saying,  and  then  relapse  into  an  absent-minded 
condition.  Wilson  told  him  that  there  was  a  decided  down- 
ward tendency  in  some  of  the  stocks  of  which  they  had  large 
holdings.  Would  it  be  best  to  sell  before  the  decline  was 
serious,  and  avoid  dangerous  contingencies? 

Norwell  finally  remarked  that  he  did  not  feel  well,  and 
should  go  home  for  the  day.  He  told  Wilson  to  do  as  he 
pleased  in  the  matter,  and  abruptly  left  the  oflice.  Wilson, 
unwilling  to  act  alone,  waited  for  further  consultation  with 
his  partner. 

May  Bryce,  after  the  evening  on  which  she  had  read  that 
fatal  note,  had  been  ill  from  the  effects  of  the  intense  nervous 
strain  to  which  she  had  been  subjected,  together  with  the  del- 
icate condition  of  her  health  that  was  rapidly  approaching 
invalidism.  Mrs.  Wilson  was  alarmed,  but  concealed  her 
own  fccirs,  lest  she  might,  by  exposing  them,  make  worse  the 
condition  of  the  unhappy  girl. 

After  reflection  there  had  gradually  sprung  up  in  May's 
mind  a  deep  indignation  at  the  treatment  to  which  she  had 
been  subjected.  She  resolved,  at  first,  never  to  see  her  un- 
worthy lover  again.  She  sat  down  to  write  to  her  mother, 
explaining  everything,  and  asking  money  to  take  her  to  Cali- 
fornia where  she  could  pour  out  her  sorrows   and  receive  the 


506  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

sympathies  of  fond  parents.  But  she  had  not  penned  half  a 
dozen  lines  till  she  saw  how  impossible  was  her  task.  Her 
revelation  would  only  break  the  hearts  of  her  father  and 
mother.  Then  her  own  womanly  pride  revolted  at  the  idea 
of  revealing  the  base  deception  of  her  adored  lover.  She 
could  not  do  it.  She  tore  up  the  letter,  and  went  to  her  only 
adviser,  Mrs.  Wilson,  for  consolation. 

As  May  laid  her  head  gently  on  the  shoulder  of  her 
friend,  she  longed  to  confide  all  her  sad  troubles.  But  pride 
again  saitl  no,  and  besides,  Alice  would  be  very  angiy  with 
him.  She  was  already  making  excuses  for  him,  and  hoping 
there  might  be  some  mistake.  She  would  give  him  one 
more  opportunity  to  explain  if  he  sought  it,  Alice  caressed 
the  head  that  leaned  upon  her,  as  a  mother  would  stroke  the 
head  of  a  child.  To  her  eye  this  gentle,  fading  young  creature 
grew  every  day  more  and  more  like  a  child. 

"  My  dear,  you  are  not  well.     You  are  feverish," 

"  I  am  so  weak.  The  least  exertion  makes  me  tired  and 
short  of  breath," 

"  I  heard  you  coughing  again  this  morning.  Do  you  take 
your  medicine  regularly?" 

"  Yes,  but  the  cough  does  not  disturb  me  much,  if  I  only 
was  as  strong  as  I  used  to  be," 

"  May,  you  must  take  better  care  of  yourself.  You  are 
not  happy.  You  are  worrying  about  something,  Tejl  nie 
everything."  The  tender  blue  eyes  drooped,  but  she  said 
nothing.  "  You  did  not  come  down  to  meet  him  yesterday 
evening.  Is  there  anything  going  wrong?  Is  it  a  lover's 
quarrel?  Tell  me,  dear,"  Again  that  weary  head  sought 
the  support  of  that  sympathizing  friend.  The  broken  spirit 
sought  relief  in  a  flood  of  tears, 

"  There  now,  don't  cry,  child.  I'll  make  it  right.  I'll 
give  him  a  good  talking  to." 

"  I  think  I  shall  go  to  my  aunt's," 

"  That  is  not  best,  deai".  You  know  there  is  no  company 
there,  and  you  get  very  lonely,  besides  Tom — you  must  stay 
here."  The  latter  argument  was  sufficient.  She  would  give 
him  one  more  opportunity. 

"  You  had  better  go  and  see  Dr.  Barnet  again  to-day," 

"  I'll  do  anything  you  wish  if  you  will  not  speak  to  him 
yet — not  just  yet." 

"  I  shall  not  speak  without  your  permission." 

May  again  consulted  the  Doctor.     She  had  no  heart  to  do 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  507 

anything.  She  answered  his  questions  in  a  listless,  indifferent 
way  as  if  she  cared  little  whether  she  lived  or  died.  She  be- 
trayed no  fear;  he  could  not  discover  that  she  felt  any.  She 
did  not  ask  anxiously,  as  patients  sometimes  do,  whether  he 
could  not  cure  her,  and  could  he  not  give  her  a  sure  cure,  as  if  a 
doctor  could  save  life.  He  was  thoroughlv  puzzled,  but,  as 
usual,  drew  the  veil  of  professional  secrecy  closely  around  his 
treatment.  He  was  astonished  at  the  rapid  progress  of  the 
dreadful  disease,  which  he  saw  at  first  had  obtained  a  dan- 
gerous foothold.  The  temperature  was  high,  the  pulse  quick, 
the  cheek  hectic,  the  breathing  difficult  on  slight  exertion. 
And  yet  there  was  no  severe  pain  anywhere.  The  disease 
had  made  in  a  few  days  the  progress  which  usually  required 
weeks.  The  mental  apathy  of  the  patient  greatly  puzzled 
the  doctor.  It  was  in  direct  contrast  with  that  hopefulness 
which  usually  to  the  very  last  cheers  the  sinking  victim  of 
that  fell  destroyer,  consumption. 

The  doctor  prescribed  some  medicines;  one  of  them  was 
to  relieve  the  cough  which  in  a  few  days  had  rapidly  grown 
troublesome.  He  prescribed  light,  nutritious  diet,  and  urged 
the  necessity  of  rest  and  quiet.  He  recommended  riding  out 
whenever  the  weather  was  fine,  and  urged  the  necessity  of 
mental  quiet.  She  asked  him  whether  he  would  recommend 
the  climate  of  California.  After  a  moment's  reflection,  he  re- 
plied in  the  negative.  In  truth,  May  was  thinking  all  the  time 
of  her  lover,  and  not  of  her  own  condition.  The  old  fear  she 
had  of  consumption  when  a  young  girl,  was  entirely  gone. 
It  was  swallowed  up  in  the  new  fear  that, she  might  lose  him, 
which  to  her  was  a  calamity  more  terrible  than  death. 

Norvvell,  on  leaving  the  office,  went  directly  to  the  house 
of  his  brother-in-law,  and  inquired  for  Mrs.  Wilson.  Alice 
met  him  in  the  parlor,  and  knew  at  once  there  was  a  crisis  of 
some  kind  in  his  affiiirs. 

"  What  is  it,  Tom?"  she  asked  breathlessly. 

"  Alice,  Roker  has  just  told  me  that  May  is  ill,  very  ill. 
Is  it  true?" 

«  I  fear  it  is,  Tom." 

"Why  didn't  you  tell  me  sooner?  How  blind  I've  been, 
how  heedless,  how  brutal." 

"  There,  Tom,"  she  said  kindly,  "that  is  useless.  Be  calm. 
Let  us  talk  rationally." 

"  But  I  have,"  he  persisted. 

"  It  is  too  late  to  remedy  the  past.     The  future   is  all  we 


5oS  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

can  look  to  now.  Brother,  forgive  me  for  speaking  plainly. 
The  time  is  past  for  evasion  of  a  painful  subject.  I  blame 
myself  that  I  have  not  spoken  sooner.  Are  you  ready  to 
choose  between  Alay  Bryce  and  Chetta  Irfgledee?" 

"  Why,  sister,  I  chose  long  ago." 

"  Have  you  always  been  true  to  that  choice?"  He  hesi- 
tated for  a  few  moments,  then  said  slowl}*: 

"  No,  I  have  not.  I  have  been  a  coward,  and  hesitated. 
I  deserve  only  her  scorn  and  contempt." 

«  Do  you  still  hesitate?" 

"  No,  I  decided  long  ago.  Does  she  doubt  me?"  he  asked, 
anxiously. 

"Does  Miss  Tngledee  know  this?"  asked  Alice,  evading 
his  question. 

"  She  knows  that  there  is  nothing  between  myself  and 
her." 

"  Then  go  to  May,  tell  her  all,  beg  forgiveness,  and  make 
her  happy." 

"Does  she  doubt  me?"  he  asked  again.  "Tell  me,  Alice. 
Tell  me  the  worst." 

"  Tom,  you  have  been  indeed  blind;  she  is  dying  for  you. 
It  is  only  in  these  few  days  I  have  been  seriously  alarmed.  I 
fear  we  are  all  to  blame."  He  broke  out  into  another  storm 
of  self-reproaches,  but  Alice  calmed  him  till  he  was  in  a 
rational  mood. 

"  You  must  not  excite  her,  Tom." 

Just  then  May  entered,  having  returned  from  her  visit  to 
Dr.  Barnet.  Tom  was  shocked  at  the  change  in  her  during 
the  very  few  days  since  he  had  seen  her.  The  wasted  feat- 
ures and  languid  step  sent  a  chill  of  terror  through  him. 

"  May,"  he  said,  simply,  "  I  have  come  to  ask  forgiveness. 
I  have  been  very  thoughtless,  very  cruel.  If  you  despise 
me  for  it,  say  so.  I  deserve  it  all."  Her  breath  came  quick. 
She  tottered  and  would  have  fallen  had  he  not  caught  her  in 
his  arms.  Alice  had  disappeared.  He  looked  fondly  into 
those  clear  blue  eyes  as  she  murmured: 

"  Tom,  do  you  love  me  still?" 

"  Yes,  darling,  and  only  you." 

The  color  came  to  her  cheeks  and  the  old  light  of  love 
into  her  eye.  Tom  Norwell  thought  his  Prairie  Blossom 
had  never  looked  so  beautiful.  He  used  the  old  epithet  of 
endearment. 

"Little    Prairie    Blossom,  how    could   I   be   so   unkind?" 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  5O9 

She  smiled  the  old  winning,  trusting  smile  of  the  days  before 
doubt  had  poisoned  love,  and  answered  gently: 

"Don't  speak  of  it,  dear.     I'm  very  happy  now." 
But  his    mind    was   still  filled  with  a  great,  terrible    fear. 
Carefully  he  approached  the  subject  of  her   health  to  relieve 
his  anxiety.     She  laughed  away  his  fears  for  the  time. 

"  I  have  not  felt  so  strong,"  she  said,  "  as  I  used  to  in  the 
country.  But  I  am  better  now.  I  shall  get  along  very  well, 
I  think."     Then  hope  grew  strong  in  him  again. 


CHAPTER  LI. 


FACE     TO     FACE. LOVE  S     APPEAL     TO     LOVE. —  MR.    QUILL 

MALLEY    EXHIBITS    ALARMING    SYMPTOMS. 

On  the  next  day  Norwell  and  Wilson  went  to  the  oflice 
earlier  than  usual.  The  latter  had  learned  through  his  wife 
the  cause  of  his  partner's  strange  conduct  on  the  previous 
day.  Now  that  Norwell  was  again  himself,  Wilson  hail 
informed  him  of  the  dangerous  condition  of  their  affiiirs  in 
the  case  of  a  crisis.  Toward  the  close  of  the  day  before, 
many  stocks  had  tumbled  rapidly,  and  People's  Telegraph 
was  in  particular  literally  slaughtered.  Wilson  had  relied 
on  Ophir  to  hold  up  the  market  on  the  latter  stock,  but  that 
gentleman  was  either  unable  or  unwilling  to  do  so,  &i-  wished 
it  to  go  lower,  no  one,  excepting  Mr.  Ophir  himself,  could 
tell  exactly  which. 

That  day  the  markets  opened  with  a  downward  tendency 
and  things  began  to  look  very  bad  for  the  firm  of  Norwell 
&  Wilson,  whose  liabilities  unfortunately  were  heavy  and 
largely  matured,  while  their  assets  in  the  shape  of  a  vault 
full  of  securities  were  melting  away  with  fearful  rapidity  as 
values  declined.  The  street  was  wild  with  exciteirient. 
Small  dealers  were  going  to  the  wall.  Heavy  institutions 
were  taking  every  possible  precaution.  The  firm  of  Norwell 
&  Wilson  might  by  throwing  their  securities  on  a  declining 
market  realize  enough  ready  money  to  save  themselves  from 
bankruptcy,  but  the  sacrifice  would  be  enormous.  Somebody 
was  plainly  "  milking  the  street." 

In    his    extremity,  Norwfll    determined    to   appeal    once 


5IO  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

more  to  Ingledee.  Wilson  did  not  think  that  any  help  could  be 
expected  from  that  quarter,  hut  Norwell  still  hoped  that  his 
long  acquaintance  with  the  family  might  count  for  something. 

Mr.  Ingledee  was  an  attentive  listener,  but  not  disposed 
to  step  into  the  market  for  the  purpose  of  saving  others.  He 
preferred  to  let  his  own  stocks  take  their  chances  rather  than 
risk  hundreds  of  thousands  to  aid  a  friend.  He  argued  that 
since  Ophir,  Chrysolite  and  others  were  on  the  other  side  it 
would  be  madness  for  him  to  attempt  to  enter  the  markets 
against  them.  Then  Norwell  knew  what  he  might  have 
known  at  first,  that  such  men  count  friendship  as  nothing 
when  weighed  against  gold. 

"  But  will  not  your  own  properties  suffer  severely,  Mr. 
Ingledee,  if  you  do  not  protect  them?" 

"  My  railway  properties  are  too  valuable  to  suffer  any 
permanent  depreciation  in  value.  As  I  own  my  holdings 
absolutely  I  can  afford  to  see  them  decline  twenty  to  thirty 
points  without  any  uneasiness.  They  are  sure  to  rally,  and  I 
lose  nothing  whatever." 

The  fact  was,  that  Ophir,  Ingledee  and  Chrysolite  had 
entered  into  a  conspiracy  to  produce  a  panic,  slaughter  prices 
and  transfer  vast  blocks  of  certain  coveted  stocks  from  the 
small  operators  to  the  great  money  kings.  Norwell,  see- 
ing that  nothing  could  be  expected  from  Ingledee,  went  back 
to  his  office  in  despair.  Things  looked  very  black  on  the 
street.  Bankers  and  brokers  were  hourly  closing  their  doors. 
Men  in  despair  rushed  hither  and  thither  frantically,  seeking 
aid,  which  they  could  obtain  only  on  the  most  exorbitant 
terms.  From  one  to  two  per  cent,  per  day  was  paid  for  the 
use  of  money.  Still  these  wily  fishers  sat  in  their  offices 
and  with  grim  satisfaction,  hour  by  hour,  slowly  drew  the 
fatal  net  a  little  tighter  round  their  struggling,  terror-stricken 
prey.  Like  inquisitors  of  old,  they  smiled  while  their  victims 
writhed  under  the  torture.  The  demon  that  is  in  man  is  a 
part  of  his  very  nature;  successive  ages  only  change  its  form. 
The  sword  is  no  longer  the  emblem  of  the  god  of  rapine; 
instead,  the  dollar  sits  exalted  while  busy  criers  call  from 
dome  and  minaret,  "  Bow  down  and  worship;  I  am  the  great 
I  Am." 

Norwell  and  Wilson  went  home  that  night  with  heavy 
hearts.  Unless  a  favorable  change  took  place  next  day  they 
must  close  their  doors  and  face  utter  ruin.  Affairs  were 
discussed  at  the  dinner  table  anxiously,  but  no  favorable  indi- 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  5I  I 

cations  coukl  be  discerned  ahead.  May  Bryce  seemed 
affected  by  the  news  least  of  all.  She  was  so  happy  in  the 
new-found  knowledge  that  her  lover  was  all  her  own  to  have 
forevermore,  without  any  perplexing  doubts  or  dire  forebod- 
ings, that  she  scarcely  cared  for  the  threatenings  of  impend- 
ing poverty.  She  forgot  all  Dr.  Barnet's  admonitory  advice, 
and  for  a  brief  time  was  again  the  same  simple-hearted,  happy 
maiden  of  her  girlish  days.  She  deceived  herself  and  all  of 
them  with  this  sudden  elasticity  of  mind  and  body. 

Bidding  her  lover  a  fond  good-night,  which  he  had 
stamped  with  a  brace  of  sweet  kisses,  she  retired  to  rest. 
She  was  too  happy  to  sleep.  Her  cough  troubled  her,  too, 
though,  strange  to  say,  she  thought  little  of  it,  and  was 
scarcely  conscious  of  a  slight  pain  in  the  chest  that  accom- 
panied it.  She  thought  over  the  trouble  in  which  her  lover 
and  his  partner  were.  She  wished  she  could  do  something  to 
aid  them.  Suddenly  she  thought  of  Chetta  Ingledee.  Now 
that  May  knew  she  had  finally  triumphed  over  that  danger- 
ous rival,  she  no  longer  feared  her.  Instead,  there  was  a  feel- 
ing of  sympathy  for  the  one  whom  she  believed  had  been  so 
grievously  disappointed.  May  thought  of  Tom's  interview 
with  Mr.  Ingledee,  and  formed  a  sudden  resolution.  She 
would  go  to  Chetta  and  throw  herself  on  the  generosity  of 
her  former  rival.  She  would  plead  for  Tom  and  procure 
Chetta's  intercession  with  Mr.  Ingledee  in  favor  of  the  firm 
who  were  so  sorely  pressed.  May  thought  to  herself,  "  If 
she  ever  loved  him  as  I  do  she  will  do  so  much  for  him." 

She  was  so  happy  in  discovering  this  plan,  the  success  of 
which  she  never  doubted  for  a  moment,  that  her  excited  brain 
refused  to  seek  the  sweet  repose  of  sleep  for  a  long  time. 
Next  morning  the  plan  recurred  to  her  on  her  first  awaken- 
ing. It  still  seemed  good,  though  somehow  the  healthful 
light  of  day  made  it  look  different  from  what  it  appeared 
during  the  darkness  of  the  night.  It  admitted  of  some 
doubts  now.  Daylight  is  a  capital  sieve  to  filter  moonlight 
fancies  through.  May  strove  to  make  out  a  breakfast  on  a 
poached  egg  and  some  toast,  though  with  very  little  appetite. 
Then  putting  on  her  cloak  she  slipped  from  the  house  and 
started  directlv  for  the  splendid  Ingledee  residence  on  Fifth 
avenue. 

She  gave  the  name  "  Miss  Bryce  "  to  the  servant,  and  was 
shown  into  the  parlor  at  once.  In  a  few  minutes  Miss  Ingle- 
dee came  down  and  greeted  her  visitor  politely.     There  was 


5'- 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


a  curious  look  of  inquiry  in  her  eyes  as  she  welcomed  the 
caller  and  asked  about  her  health. 

"  You  do  not  look  so  strong  as  usual,  Miss  Bryce." 

"No,  I  have  not  been  in  my  usual  health  lately,  but  I 
think  I  am  improving  now." 

Chetta  was  astonished  at  the  change  which  had  taken 
place  in  this  beautiful  girl.  The  rosy  flush  of  health  had 
vanished  from  the  cheeks  once  so  plump,  but  now  pale  and 
sunken.  The  complexion  was  very  pallid  except  a  bright  snot 
on  either  cheek.  The  pearly  luster  of  the  bright  e3'e  was 
unnatural.  The  quick  breathing  might  have  been  the  result 
of  excitement,  of  vigorous  exercise,  or  of  disease. 

"  Have  you  not  walked  too  fast?  Shall  I  ring  for  some 
wine?" 

"  No  thank  you,  Miss  Ingledee.  I  feel  a  little  fjiint,  that 
is  all.  I  have  walked  some  distance,  rather  fiirther  than 
usual." 

Then  there  was  an  awkward  pause.  Miss  Ingledee  knew 
at  first  that  this  girl  had  come  to  her  with  a  purpose.  What 
that  purpose  was  she  could  not  divine,  but  it  must  be  in  some 
way  connected  with  a  subject  neither  of  the  women  cared  to 
discuss  with  the  other.  Behind  her  courtesy  there  lurked  the 
old  dislike.  This  was  natural.  She  believed  that  May 
Bryce  had  stolen  her  lover.  All  would  have  been  well  had 
not  this  fair-faced  stranger  come  between  them  witii  her 
good  looks  and  artless  ways.  She  never  once  blamed  the 
man.  She  could  not  forgive  the  woman.  This  stranger  had 
taken  her  lover;  what  more  did  she  want?  Had  she  come  to 
exhibit  her  triumph? 

May  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence.  It  was  a  difficidt 
matter  to  approach  the  object  of  her  visit.  There  were  things 
hard  to  think  of  and  much  harder  to  speak  about.  But  she 
had  come,  ready  to  make  any  sacrifice  of  her  own  feelings;  to 
do  anything  consistent  with  womanly  dignity  and  honor  to 
save  her  lover.  In  spite  of  herself  she  could  not  control  her 
emotion,  and  spoke  with  a  painful  catching  of  her  breath: 

"  Miss  Ingledee,  I  have  come  to  ask  a  great  favor  of  you 
for  one  who — for  a  friend.  I  know  you  are  generous  and  I 
trust,  magnanimous."  Chetta  bowed  only  in  reply  and  waited. 
"■  Your  father  is  very  rich  and  very  influential.  Could  you 
intercede  with  him  and  get  him  to  use  his  influence  for — for 


some  one 


?" 


"  Miss  Bryce,  speak  plainly.     To  whom  do  you  refer,  and 
what  is  it  you  wish  ?" 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  513 

"  I  mean  Mr.  Norwell,"  was  the  low  reply,  which  cost  an 
effort. 

"And  what  do  you  want  me  to  do  for  hiniF'' 

"  Perhaps  you  don't  know,  but  his  firm  is  in  great  straits. 
If  your  father  could  only  do  something." 

"  I  am  powerless." 

''  Please  do  not  say  that,  Miss  Ingledee,"  plead  the  anxious 
girl.  "  You  cannot-  say  that.  I  know  how  good  you  are  to 
every  one,  and  you  must  be  kind-hearted.  If  there  is  anything 
in  the  past" — she  stopped  short;  she  could   not  mention  that. 

Chetta  Ingledee  rose  with  an  angry  gesture  and  walked  to 
the  window.  This  mention  of  the  past  had  brought  up  all  her 
own  secret  wrongs.  It  steeled  her  heart  instantly.  "  You 
speak  of  the  past.  What  have  I  to  do  with  the  past  ?  What 
are  Mr.  Norwell's  affairs  to  me.?  Ask  your  own  heart;  you 
know  best." 

"  Forgive  me,  Miss  Ingledee,  for  alluding  to  it..  I  meant 
no  offense,"  said  May  in  alarm.  "Only  think  of  your  station 
and  the  good  you  ma}-  do." 

"And  how,"  exclaimed  Chetta,  with  a  passionate  vehe- 
mence, "  can  you  come  here  with  triumph  in  your  heart  to  ask 
such  a  favor  of  me?  Do  you  come  to  taunt  me?"  For  a 
moment  passion-  had  got  the  better  of  this  high-spirited  woman 
and  she  felt  ready  to  crush  and  humble  her  rival. 

"Miss  Ingledee,  Miss  Ingledee,  you  mistake  me.  I  was 
thinking  only  of  his  interests.  Let  us  forget  all  that  has  hap- 
pened. Think  only  of  what  you  would  do  for  any  human 
being  whom  you  could  save  from  ruin." 

"I  cannot  save  him." 

"  Your  father  can  do  everything.  Will  30U  speak  to  him? 
Will  you  try?  Only  try.  Z^o  say  that  you  will."  Theplcvid- 
ing  face  of  this  stricken  woman  was  piteous  to  behold.  It 
touched  the  heart  of  Miss  Ingledee,  and  she  replied  in  a  gentler 
tone: 

"  It  is  useless  now.     It  is  too  late." 

"Too  late!  Is  that  all  your  answer?  If  you  had  ever 
really  loved' him  it  would  never  be  too  late." 

"  Love!"  ejaculated  Chetta,  scornfull}'.  "  And  do  you  come 
here  to  give  me  lessons  in  love?  When  you  have  lavished  a 
lifetime  of  love  on  one  object  then  speak,  and  not  till  then." 
Thrown  off  her  guard  for  a  moment  by  the  sudden  recollec- 
tion of  her  own  bitter  disappointment  and  this  imputation  on 
the  genuineness  of  her  love,  Chetta  Ingledee  had  betrayed  her 

33 


5H 


AN    IRON    CROWN, 


secret  to  her  successful  rival.  She  rose  and  turned  away  ini- 
patiently,  to  conceal  her  vexation. 

"Forgive  me,  Miss  Ingledee,  I  was  wrong  and  unjust." 

"  Love!  What  do  you  think  is  the  meaning  of  love? 
What  couldyoti  do  for  him  ?     What  saci  ifice  could  j'ou  make  ?" 

"I  could  die  for  him,"  answered  May,  with  a  pathos  that 
struck  to  the  heart  of  the  haughty  woman  who  stood  indig- 
nantly before  her.  "I  can  do  more  than  that,  yes,  more  than 
that,  Miss  Ingledee.  Only  help  him,  save  him  from  ruin,  and 
I  will — yes,  I  will  give  him  up  to  you."  She  dropped  at  the 
feet  of  Chetta  and  went  into  a  fit  of  hysterical  sobbing,  that 
was  pitiable  to  hear.  Chetta  raised  the  weeping  girl  tenderly, 
and  placed  her  in  an  easy  chair.  May  breathed  so  hard  that 
she  was  for  a  moment  alarmed. 

"  Tiiere,  Miss  Bryce,  say  no  more.  You  hardly  know 
what  you  are  asking.  I  fear  we  have  both  been  talking  non- 
sense.    Let  us  be  rational." 

"  Then  you  ivi'/l  help  him  ?"  said  May,  as  an  angelic  smile 
shone  through  her  tears. 

"  Miss  Bryce,  I  have  told  you  the  truth.  I  would  save  him 
if  I  could  for  your  sake,  and  for  the  past,"  she  added  with 
an  effort.  "  liut  I  can  not  help  him  now.  My  father,"  she 
said,  lowering  her  voice,  "  would  not  permit  interference  in 
such  a  thing." 

"  You  are  his  only  child.  Don't  you  think  you  could  per- 
suade him?" 

"  I  can  do  nothing.  It  gives  me  pain  to  say  it,  but  he  is  a 
merciless  man.  And  probably  he  could  do  nothing  now  if  he 
would.  Had  Mr.  Norwell  listened  in  time  all  would  have  been 
well.  I  wfote  him  asking  him  to  come  and  I  could  tell  him 
something." 

"Was  that  what  you  wanted  to  see  him  for?"  Then  May 
stopped  suddenly,  realizing  instantly  that  she  had  disclosed  a 
secret.  "  Oh  dear,  everythiHg  seems  to  go  wrong  in  this 
world." 

Chetta  noticed  May's  surprise  at  this  reference  to  the  note 
and  her  uneasiness.  She  knew  something  had  gone  amiss,  but 
could  not  guess  what.  She  tried  to  soothe  the  suffering  girl, 
for  whom  she  now  felt  a  tender  pity. 

"  All  things  are  in  the  hands  of  Him  who  orders  all  wisely; 
we  can  only  wait.  Calm  yourself,  or  you  will  be  ill.  Why, 
how  feverish  you  are!"  she  exclaimed,  as  she  felt  May's 
timples.  "  You  must  have  some  lefreshment.  I  will  have  a 
lemonade  made." 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  515 

"  If  you  please,  thank  you.     I  am  very  thirsty. 

Chetta  then  sat  clown  beside  May  and  talked  to  her  kindly. 
She  thought  how  unfit  this  simple  country  girl  was  to  struggle 
with  the  dangers  and  difficulties  that  constantly  beset  life's  pat  h- 
way.  Her  feelings  of  anger  and  jealousy  had  turned  to  com- 
]:)assion  for  the  poor  creature  before  her  whose  life  was  fast 
ebbing  in  this  fruitless  struggle.  May  drank  the  cooling 
lemonade  and  ate  a  small  cracker. 

"  You  are  very  kind,  Miss  Ingledee.  I  thank  you  very 
much." 

"  Miss  Bryce,  I  wish  I  could  do  all  you  ask.  But  do  not  be 
downhearted,  things  may  he  all  right  at  last." 

"  We  can  always  hope." 

Chetta  sadly  remembered  that  on  one  subject  there  was  no 
longer  even  hope  for  her.  She  ordered  the  coachman  to  get 
out  a  carriage  and  sh6  took  May  home  tenderly  bidding  her 
adieu  as  they  parted. 

•~  Chetta  next  ordered  the  man  to  drive  directly  to  Pipe 
Malley  &  Co.'s  store.  There  was  some  mystery  connected 
with  that  note  of  hers  to  Norwell,  and  she  was  determined  to 
find  out  what  it  was.  She  had  been  pained  at  his  treatment 
of  her  when  she  called  to  warn  him,  and  was  mystified  by 
May's  evident  distress  on  allusion  to  the  note.  Quill  Malley 
happened  to  be  alone  in  the  store.  He  replied  to  her  greeting 
with  an  awkward  attempt  at  politeness.  His  usual  bashful 
manner  in  the  presence  of  ladies  seemed  to  be  intensified  this 
morning.  He  glanced  furtively  at  Chetta's  face  when  she 
entered,  but  did  not  meet  her  steady  gaze.  As  an  excuse  he 
emploved  himself  with  some  fictitious  arrangements  imder 
the  counter,  then  turned  his  back  and  sorted  oranges  busily. 
She  talked  pleasantly,  waiting  for  him  to  get  through  and 
look  up  which  he  seemed  in  no  hurry  to  do,  as  he  answered 
from  time  to  time  without  turning.     At  last  she  began: 

"  Quill,  I  wish  to  ask  you  a  question."  Then  he  ceased 
work,  and  came  and  leaned  over  the  counter,  but  began  tracing 
figures  on  a  sheet  of  wrapping  paper,  leaning  his'head  so  as  to 
hide  his  face. 

"  Quill,  did  you  deliver  my  note  the  other  day  as  directed  ?" 

"  Pipe  sent  me  on  a  urrint.  /couldn't  help  it,"  he  replied, 
putting  himself  on  the  defensive  instantly. 

"  Of  course  you  couldn't  help  the  delav  Where  did  you 
take  it- then?" 

"I   took   it    to    Norwell's  &.  Wilson's   office.     He   wasn't 


5l6  AN    IKON'    CROWN. 

in,  so  I  took  it  up  to  his  partner's  house.  He  told  me  to  do 
it."  Quill  said  this  in  an  injured  tone  as  if  he  had  already 
been  accused  of  a  grave  crime. 

"Who  told  you  to  take  it  up  there?" 

«  Wy,  Mr.  Wilson,  of  course." 

"  That  was  proper.     Whom  did  you  give  the  note  to  ?" 

*' To  a  girl  'ut  come  to  the  door." 

"A  servant?" 

«'  No,  that  light-haired  girl  that  Mr.  Norwell  goes  with 
sometimes." 

"  Quill,  you  have  been  very  careless,"  she  replied,  with  a 
tone  of  displeasure. 

"  How'd  I  know  she  wasn't  to  be  trusted.  Y'  ought  to 
sealed  it." 

"  Wasn't  it  sealed  ?"  she  asked  quickly. 

"  Naw  it  wasn't,"  replied  Quill,  with  a  vague  suspicion 
that  his  defensive  tactics  had  betrayed  him  into  saying  too 
much. 

"  She  may  have  read  it,  thinking  there  was  an  answer?" 

"  I  dunno.  I  tell  yer  I  seed  nobody  read  it."  Mr.  Mal- 
ley's  actions  now  assumed  those  of  the  highly  injured  indi- 
vidual. The  last  interrogatory  had  touched  an  exceedingly  del- 
icate spot,  not  in  his  conscience,  for  that  rested  pretty  comfort- 
able on  ordinary  occasions,  having  learned  to  take  cat-naps  on 
duty,  but  in  his  fears,  the  region  of  which  was  subject  to  peri- 
ods of  abnormal  excitement.  It  behooved  him  to  strengthen 
the  position  at  once  by  a  good  round  lie. 

"  Somebody  has  read  it.  I  asked  you  to  deliver  it  to  Mr. 
Norwell  personally.     You  did  very  wrong,  Quill." 

"  Now  how  do  yer  'spose  I  could  help  it  if  somebody  read 
it.  I  tell  yer  I  seed  nobody  read  it.  Hope  I  may  die  if  I  did. 
Honor  bright,  wot's  the  use  o'  bein'  so  hard  on  a  feller  when 
he's  doin'  the  best  he  kin!" 

"Quill,"  she  said,  in  a  strange  yet  not  stern  tone,  that  he 
never  heard  her  use  before,  "  I  trusted  you.  You  have  been 
careless,  and  mischief  has  been  done."     She  turned  to  go. 

"  I'm  awful  sorry.  Miss  Ingledee.  I  hope  it  wasn't  per- 
tickler." 

"  It  zvas  particular,  Quill,  but  there  is  no  helping  it  now. 
Be  more  careful  in  future." 

Quill's  sorrow  was  to  be  understood  in  a  modified  sense. 
He  did  not  regret  particularly  his  act  of  treachery  irt  itself, 
for  it  was  a  matter  of  business.     But  he  did  regret  that  it  could 


AX    IKON    CROWN.  5iy 

not  have  happened  with  some  one  else  than  his  teacher,  whom 
he  really  loved.  He  was  sorry  that  he  had  vexed  her,  and  his 
regret  was  considerahly  magnified  hy  the  possibility  tliat  he 
may  have  lost  a  good  friend  who  had  many  times  helped  him, 
and  was  willing  to  help  him  much  more.  He  reflected  rather 
gloomily  that  he  perhaps  had  for  a  paltry  sum  in  hand  sold 
his  expectations  of  obtaining  many  times  that  amount.  He 
was  a  little  uneasy,  too,  lest  she  might  somehow  find  out  that 
he  had  shown  the  note  to  Roker.  Then  if  any  trouble  grew 
out  of  it  Quill  was  sure  to  get  his  share. 

Quill's  experience  of  the  morning  had  a  depressing  effect 
on  his  spirits  during  the  day.  He  neyer  once  executed  a  break- 
down in  the  little  back  storage  room  to  the  edification  of  a 
young  man  who  kept  a  peanut  establishment  on  the  sidewalk, 
and  dropped  in  occasionally  to  indulge  in  gymnastic  per- 
formances during  the  intervals  between  serving  customers. 
He  abstained  during  the  entire  forenoon  from  eating,  a  thing 
beyond  precedent,  and  which  the  observant  proprietor  took  as 
an  infallible  indication  of  serious  bodily  ailment.  Figs,  raisins 
and  nuts  had  lost  their  charms  for  Quill,  and  he  passed  by  the 
over-ripe  bananas,  four  for  five  cents,  with  a  look  of  self-denial 
that  would  have  done  credit  to  an  anchorite.  Strangest,  most 
incredible  of  all,  he  carefully  washed  his  hands  and  face  twice 
during  the  forenoon  in  an  apparent  fit  of  abstraction.  Whether 
this  may  not  have  been  a  deliberate  and  violent  penance  on 
his  part  will  perhaps  never  be  known.  All  this  strange  con- 
duct was  carefully  noted  by  Pipe,  who  finally  could  no  longer 
restrain  his  curiosity  to  know  the  cause  of  such  unaccountable 
proceedings. 

"  Quill,  what's  the  matter  with  you  to-day.  Yer  actin' 
awful  funny.     Ain't  you  sick?" 

"Sick  nothin',"  was  the  crusty  reply.  "You  must  be 
sick  yerself." 

Pipe  was,  indeed,  sorely  puzzled.  At  dinner  time  he 
mentioned  this  unaccountable  conduct  privately  to  his  mother. 
Together  they  were  still  unable  to  solve  the  problem.  Quill's 
a[)petite  seemed  to  hold  out  in  spite  of  the  dangerous  symptoms 
at  the  store.  He  dispatched  for  dinner  two  plates  of  browned 
beef  and  potatoes,  bread  in  proportion,  two  cups  of  coffee,  a 
dish  of  cabbage  slaw,  two  big  apple  dumplings,  and  a  few 
minor  accessories.  The  theory  of  a  disease  based  on  a  loss  of 
appetite  was  abandoned  as  untenable.  Mrs.  Malley  asked, 
after  Quill  had  eaten  for  some  time  in  absolute  silence: 


5lS  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Quill,  honey,  what's  the  matter  with  you;  are  you  sick?" 

"Matter?     \Vot  d'ye  see  the  matter?     Do   I  look  sick? 

Giiniiie   s'inore    beef  an'  potater."     Then  he  relapsed    into 

silence  again,  plying  his  knife  and  fork  viciously  by  way  of 

protest  against  this  distasteful  insinuation  of  poor  health. 


CHAPTER  LII. 


TRUE    UNTO    DEATH. 


The  crisis  in  the  monetary  center  of  the  republic  has  run 
its  course  and  done  its  terrible  work.  A  few  men  have  won 
the  millions  which  the  many  lost.  A  steady  stream  has  flowed 
into  the  coffers  of  Messrs.  Ophir,  Ingledee,  Chrysolite  and  a 
few  others,  who  happened  by  chance  or  otherwise,  to  get  on 
the  right  side  of  the  market.  Smaller  concerns  li^ve  closed 
their  doors  in  a  score  of  instances.  The  important  house  of 
Norwell  &  Wilson  has  been  obliged  to  suspend  after  suffering 
tremendous  losses  in  the  heavy  decline.  An  angry  mob  sways 
to  and  fro  in  Wall  street  near  the  offices  of  Ophir  and  Ingle- 
dee. Ominous  threats  are  occasionally  heard,  and  a  trivial  in- 
cident might  incite  a  terrible  riot.  A  large  force  of  police  is 
in  readiness  to  quell  any  disturbance.  Occasionally  the  names 
of  Ophir  and  Ingledee  are  coupled  with  threats  of  violence, 
but  the  day  wears  slowly  away,  a  drizzling  rain  sets  in,  and 
the  crowd  gradually  disperses.  But  the  men  who  have  suf- 
fered most,  heed  not  the  lowering  clouds  and  the  chill  rains. 
Fires  of  hate  and  revenge  burn  fiercely  in  their  bosoms  beyond 
the  power  of  the  steady  dripping  rain  to  quell. 

Those  who  have  lost  by  the  failure  of  Norwell  &  Wilson 
crowd  up  the  steps  of  the  building,  block  the  sidewalk,  try 
to  peer  through  the  closed  shutters,  and  clamor  for  admittance. 
They  ciowd  the  policemen  who  try  to  keep  the  sidewalk  clear, 
and  stubbornly  refuse  to  move  on.  Bovs  and  idlers  add  to 
the  throng,  and  indulge  in  ill-natured  or  jocose  remarks  accord- 
ing to  their  mood.  But,  for  the  crowding,  anxious,  haggard 
men  who  have  lost  perhaps  the  savings,  of  a  lifetime,  there  is 
but  one  thing  possible.  They  stare  at  the  ominous  word 
"Closed" 'with  straining  eyes  again  and  again,  as  if,  by  some 
possibility,  they  hoped  to  discover  that  they  had  read  it  wrong, 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  519 

that  the  doors  were  really  open,  and  the  firm  paying  all  their 
creditors  in  full.  On  that  modest  piece  of  white  card  board 
they  read  their  doom,  but  refuse  to  accept  it.  It  is  a  cruelly 
hard  thing  for  a  man  to  realize  that  the  fruits  of  a  lifetime  are 
swept  away  in  an  hour.  The  weary  years  of  labor,  the  little 
devices  of  economy,  the  painful  self-denial  of  old  clothes  and 
plain  food,  the  pleasures  foregone,  the  loved  ones  who  en- 
dured all  that  old  age  might  be  lifted  over  the  hard  spots  in 
life's  pathway,  the  thousand  and  one  discomforts  of  small  sav- 
ings, the  knowledge  that  life  is  now  perhaps  to  be  ended  in 
hopeless,  pinching  poverty,  as  bodily  strength  fails  and  com- 
forts are  a  necessitv — all  these  are  summed  up  in  those  two 
fatal  words,  "BANK  CLOSED." 

By  some  mistake  of  a  clerjv  a  few  men  and  pleading  women 
were  admitted  at  a  side  door.  Wilson  managed  to  get  rid  of 
most  of  them  on  the  promise  that  possibly  the  firm  could  re- 
..sume  to-morrow  when  their  interests  would  all  be  looked 
after.  Some  were  reasonable,  others  utterly  unreasoning  and 
threatening.  Some  of  those  who  had  held  on  to  their  stocks 
until  their  investment  was  nearly  wiped  out  of  existence, 
blamed  the  firm  for  not  advising  them  in  time  to  sell.  Some 
who  had  bought  stocks  that  had  declined  very  little,  thought 
there  was  some  trick  about  the  order  to  close  the  doors.  They 
wanted  their  money,  and  were  in  some  cases  insultingly 
clamorous. 

Among  others  who  had  entered  were  Pipe  Malley  and 
John  Wright.  The  former  came  through  sympathy  with  his 
friend  Norwell,  the  latter  half  crazed  with  anxiety,  wanted  his 
stocks  or  the  money  for  them. 

"Mr.  Norwell,  can  you  ruin  a  poor  man  this  way?"  said 
Wright,  as  he  pushed  himself  into  Norwell's  presence. 

"  Mr.  Wright,  I  have  ruined  no  one.    I  am  ruined  m3'self." 

"  Give  me  back  my  principal  and  I'll  ask  no  more." 

"  I  can  not  give  you  back  your  principal.  The  stock  has 
declined  till  it  is  not  worth  half  what  you  paid  for  it." 

"  I  want  my  money.  I've  got  to  have  my  money.  It  be- 
longs to  Sarah,  an'  it'll  kill  her  to  lose  it.  I've  slaved  all  my 
life  for  Sarah  and  the  children.  It  was  a  bad  day  when  I 
ever  put  my  money  in  the  hands  of  rich  men."  He  went 
on  in  an  incoherent  way,  continually  repeating,  "  I've  got  to 
have  my  money,  I  t«ll  you.  It's  Sarah's  and  the  children's, 
an'  it'll  kill  her.  Can't  you  give  me  some  of  it?  "  he  finally 
asked.     "Just  as  much  as  you  can." 


520  AN    TRON    CROWN. 

"  Mr.  WrlCTht,  I  can't  give  you  any  money.  I  can  give 
you  your  stocks  and  you  can  go  out  and  sell  them.  But  you 
can  not  get  much  for  them.      I  think  you  had  better  wait." 

"Why  didn't  you  tell  me  this  afore,  Mr.  Norwell,  as  a 
friend  of  Little  Hackett's?  You  knowed  I  couldn't  afford  to 
lose  the  money.     Haven't  you  any  feelings  for  a  poor  man?" 

"  I  told  you  I  could  sell  your  venture  at  a  profit.  You 
chose  not  to  sell.  I  said  it  might  go  higher,  that  I  thought  it 
would  go  higher,  but  I  made  no  guarantee." 

During  this  time  Wilson  and  one  of  tlie  clerks  had  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  everybody  out  of  the  office  excepting  Pipe 
Malley  and  Wright.  The  latter  was  in  a  perfect  frenzy  at 
losing  his  money,  and  would  listen  to  no  arguments. 

"I  don't  want  to  do  anytlflng  desprit,  but  I  must  have 
that  money.  I  tell  you  it'll  kill  Sarah.  Do  you  want  to 
murder  my  family,  do  you?  I  might  as  well  do  something 
desprit  an'  be  hung,  an'  then  when  Sarah  an'  me  are  gone* 
the  children  can  go  to  the  poorhouse.  Are  you  trying  to 
cheat  a  poor  man?  " 

Pipe  Malley  had  listened  for  some  time  with  impatience. 
He  could  no  longer  restrain  his  indignation.  Walking  be- 
tween Norwell  and  Wright  he  turned  on  the  latter. 

"  See  here,  Mr.  Wright,  you  are  acting  like  a  madman. 
You're  out  o'  your  head.  Go  home  till  you  come  to  yourself 
before  you  go  talking  to  people." 

"  I'll  go  when  I  get  my  monev." 

"  Your  money !  What's  your  money  more  than  other 
people's  money?  Haven't  others  lost  all  they  had?  If  you 
don't  want  to  risk  any  consequences,  don't  you  take  any 
chances.  I've  been  in  that  mill,  too.  Now  when  you  get 
out  you'll  know  enough  to  stay  out." 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  beat." 

"Who's  trying  to  beat  you?  You've  stood  here  an' 
abused  Mr.  Norwell  till  it's  a  shame.  I  tell  you  there  isn't 
an  honester  man  in  New  York  than  Tom  Norwell.  Now 
don't  say  another  word  agin  him,  for  I  won't  stand  it  if  he 
does." 

Tom  Norwell,  utterly  worn  out  and  overwhelmed  by  the 
disasters  of  the  day,  had  sat  quiet  during  the  dialogue  between 
Malley  and  Wright.  Thinking  his  friend's  zeal  might  have 
led  him  too  far,  he  quietly  said,  "  Pipe,  be  careful.  There  is 
no  need  of  any  further  excitement." 

"  I'm  not  excited,  Mr.  Norwell.     I  only  say  that  tiiis  man 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  52I 

has  said  too  much,  an'  he'd  better  go  home  till  he  comes  to 
his  senses.  And  what's  more,  I'll  not  stand  his  fibusing 
you." 

Wilson  and  Malley  finally  got  Wright  aside  and  induced 
him  to  leave  and  wait  till  next  day.  The  firm  hoped  to 
be  open  for  business  again  as  usual.  With  reviving  hope  the 
man  finally  saw  the  absurdity  of  his  actions  and  regretted  his 
course. 

"  Mr.  Norvvell,"  he  said,  "  I  guess  I  was  a  little  too  fast. 
But  I  was  thinkin'  of  Sarah  an'  the  children.  I'm  a  plain 
man  an'  don't  know  how  to  talk  polite  like  you  do.  If  I  said 
anything  out  of  the  way  I  hope  you  won't  consider  it  as 
amountin'  to  much." 

"  We  will  let  that  pass,"  said  Tom.  Pipe  left  at  the  same 
time,  but  when  Wilson  showed  him  out  he  met  Amaziah 
Snicker  at  the  side  entrance.  Snicker  came  to  make  in- 
quiiies  about  some  business  matters  in  which  he-  was 
indirectly  interested. 

"  What  is  the  prospect,  Wilson?" 

"  Very  dark.     We  hope  to  resume  to-morrow." 

"It's  terrible,"  said  Snicker,  wij^ing  his  face  as  he  entered 
the  private  office.  "  I  never  saw  the  like.  I  didn't  sleep  a 
wink  last  night.     I'm  out  a  cool  hundred  thousand." 

"  It  is  a  very  dark  outlook  for  us,"  said  Norwell,  "  but  I 
supposed  that  you  had  no  investments  that  were  likely  to  be 
affected  by  a  temporary  fluctuation." 

"  Did  it  against  my  better  judgment,  to  please  Fred  and 
some  friends.  I've  been  in  hot  water  for  three  days.  I  can't 
sit  still,  or  eat  or  sleep.  It  reminds  me  of  the  time  I  scooped 
a  million  out  o'  sugar  in  '61.  Damn  me,  why  did  I  ever 
scoop  a  million  out  o'  sugar  to  go  dabbling  in  railroad  stocks!" 
A  vicious  stamp  of  the  foot  accompanied  this  sentiment.  "A 
clean  hundred  thousand  gone.  Damn  speculation,  I  say." 
Mr.  Snicker  vanished  with  this  objurgation  on  the  very  means 
that  had  put  the  Snicker  family  into  society,  and  above  every- 
thing common,  except,  perhaps,  the  very  common  habit  of 
getting  out  of  temper  and  indulging  a  latitude  often  taken  on» 
such  occasions  by  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  the  habit  of 
swearing.  The  partners  were  left  alone  in  Norwell's  private 
office. 

"  Wilson,  I'd  rather  be  dead  than  undergo  all  this." 

"It's  a  hard  place  to  be  in,  that's  a  fact;  but  the  main 
thins:  now  is  to  gfet  out." 


^22  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Arthur,  I  am  sorry  I  ever  advised  you  to  go  into  busi- 
ness.    Ruin  will  be  the»result." 

"Tom,  this  is  no  time  for  that  sort  of  talk.  I  took  the  re- 
sponsibility on  my  own  shoulders  when  I  agreed  to  put  my 
money  into  business." 

"  Everything  I  do  seems  to  be  unlucky." 

Wilson  for  the  first  time  now  noticed  the  worn,  haggard 
look  in  the  face  of  his  partner.  Under  the  tremendous  pres- 
sure of  the  last  few  days  Norwell  looked  several  years  older. 
Wilson,  who  knew  as  yet  little  of  the  secret  trouble  weigh- 
ing on  Tom's  heart,  supposed  all  this  anxiety  was  caused  by 
the  disaster  that  had  overtaken  the  business.  He  said  kindly, 
but  firmly: 

"  Norwell,  positively  you  must  not  give  way  to  these  mor- 
bid feelings  now,  or  think  about  what  might  have  been.  VVe 
need  all  our  energies  to  save  ourselves.  Listen.  I  have  one 
plan  yet.  George  Mack,  my  old  partner  in  the  Amazon, 
lives  in  Philadelphia.  If  he  can  raise  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  in  cash,  we  can  pull  through,  I  think,  for  the  bottom 
has  been  reached  beyond  doubt.  I  shall  take  a  train  for  Phil- 
adelphia at  once.  You  say  to  Alice  that  I  shall  not  be  home 
to-night,  and,  by  the  way,  vou  had  better  stay  there  your- 
self. " 

"  That  is  a  good  idea,  Arthur.  Meantime  I  will  go  over 
and  see  Ingledee  and  find  out,  if  I  can,  what  the  outlook  is 
for  to-morrow." 

"  I  have  no  confidence  in  Ingledee,  but  as  you  are  an  old 
friend  of  his,  it  can't  do  any  harm  to  see  him." 

Norwell  got  his  hat  at  once  and  prepared  to  start,  while 
Wilson  made  a  few  hasty  preparations  for  his  journey.  A 
train  left  Jersey  City  in  twenty  minutes,  and  he  had  just 
enough  time  to  catch  it. 

"  Arthur,  I  have  not  felt  like  myself  for  a  day  or  two. 
The  pressure  has  been  more  than  I  can  stand.  I'm  glad  you 
are  equal  to  it." 

"Tom,  I'll  pull  the  firm  through  if  it  is  possible.  I  know 
,  Mack  will  help  me  if  he  can.  Put  things  in  as  bright  a  light 
as  you  can  to  Alice  and  Miss  Bryce." 

"  I'll  do  it.     Good-bye,  Arthur;  success  to  you." 

"  Good-b3'e,  Tom.  I'll  telegraph  as  soon  as  I  learn  any- 
thing definite." 

Tom  still  held  his  partner's  hand.  For  some  reason,  some 
mysterious  impulse,  he   clung  to  it   and   gave  it  a  lingering 


An  iuoN  CROWN.  523 

pressure,  as  if  he  could  not  bear  to  let  it  go.  Again  he  re- 
peated,"  Good-bye,  Arthur."  .Again  Wilson  said. good-bye 
and  gently  drew  his  hand  away  from  Tom's,  a  little  surprised 
at  the  yearning  look  in  his  brother's  eyes.  With  faint  hope 
Tom  cried  out  after  the  figure  retreating  through  the  doorway 
outside,  "Good  luck."  A  tear  stole  silently  down  his  cheek. 
This  strong,  active,  once  buoyant  spirit  was  slowly  breaking 
under  a  pressure  that  few  men  could  bear. 

Norwell  put  on  his  hat  and  walked  down  the  street  to 
Ingledee's  office.  The  drizzling  rain  and  fog  had  deepened 
at  half-past  three  in  the  afternoon,  almost  into  the  darkness 
of  night.  Gas  burned  everywhere,  shining  dimly  through 
the  mist  with  a  faint  aureole.  The  mob  had  diminished,  but 
still  watched  sullenly  in  force  before  -the  windows  of  the 
great  magnates  of  the  street.  The  same  muttered  threats  of 
violence  were  occasionally  heard.  There  was  a  rumor  that 
Ophir  had  entered  Ingledee's  office,  and  that  the  two  railway 
kings  were  now  closeted  together.  But  the  sullen  men  who 
breathed  vengeance  were  a  minority,  and  the  mob  was  not 
prepared  to  inaugurate  a  carnival  of  bloodshed  and  destruc- 
tion. Norwell  with  little  difficulty  passed  through  an  adjoin- 
ing building  and  reached  a  back  entrance  of  the  building  in 
which  Ingledee's  spacious  oflices  were  situated.  A  porter 
who  knew  Norwell,  let  him  pass  readily,  and  told  him  that 
Mr.  Ingledee  had  not  yet  gone  home.  Norwell  passed  to 
the  front  and  pleading  very  urgent  business,  was  admitted  to 
the  private  office.  Here  were  Mr.  Ingledee,  Chetta  and 
Horace  Roker. 

Ingledee  had  not  been  alarmed  by  the  threats  of  the  mob. 
He  had,  contrary  to  Roker's  advice,  remained  in  the  office  all 
day  watching  the  market.  The  excitement  of  the  occasion 
was  to  him  only  child's  play  which  he  greatly  enjoyed. 
Entrenched  behind  his  impregnable  millions,  he  sat  and 
placidly  watched  the  drowning  wretches  who  had  been  sud- 
denly overtaken  by  this  monetary  deluge.  He  smiled  as  he 
raked  in  the  thousands  that  would  have  saved  others,  and  for 
want  of  which  they  must  perish.  He  laughed  at  Roker's 
hints  that  there  might  be  danger  in  remaining.  Henry 
Ingledee  never  deserted  his  post  because  of  danger.  Chetta, 
who  had  come  down  early  in  the  day,  absolutely  refused  to 
leave  her  father,  in  spite  of  his  commands.  For  once  she 
peremptorily  refused  to  obey  him. 

Norwell  told  Mr.  Ingledee  that  things  were  verv    threat- 


5-4 


AN    IRON'    CRO\V>r. 


ening  outside,  and  that  tlie  mob  refused  to  disperse,  though 
business  hours  were  now  past.  He  mentioned  the  threats  to 
burn  the  building. 

"Let  them  try  it,  curse  them!"  exchiimed  Ingledee. 
"  It  will  be  the  worst  piece  of  work  they  ever  ditl." 

"Oh  do  go,  papa;  we  can  do  nothing  here  now,  any 
way." 

Just  then  a  heavy  stone  was  thrown  with  great  force 
striking  the  plate  glass  window  and  shivering  it  into  long, 
jagged  triangles,  some  of  which  broke  off  and  fell  to  the 
ground,  while  others  stood  in  place.  This  was  followed  by 
a  hooting  and  yelling  of  the  mob. 

"The  villains!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ingledee  as  he  rushed  to 
the  window  defiantly. 

"  Papa,  you  must  go.  Quick,  or  it  may  be  too  late."^ 
She  clung  to  him  and  placed  herself  between  him  and  the 
window. 

"  Yes,  it  is  time  for  us  all  to  go,"  said  Norwell.  "  Miss 
Ingledee,  this  is  no  place  for  you."  He  took  her  arm  to  lead 
her  away,  while  Roker  stood  calmly  in  tlie  rear  waiting  the 
orders  of  his  chief. 

"  1  can't  go  Mr.  Norwell,  till  papa  and  you  are  safe. 
Please  be  quick.  I  will  wait  here  till  3'^ou  escape.  They  will 
suspect  nothing  while  they  see  me  here,  and  they  will  not 
hurt  a  woman." 

"We  will  all  go,"  said  Mr.  Ingledee  decisively.  "  I  think 
the  beggars  mean  mischief.  Daughter,  run  to  the  back  door 
and  wait  for  us.  I  will  get  my  hat  and  cane.  They  can't 
start  me  in  a  panic  if  they  do  their  worst.     Go  Chetta." 

"  Papa,  if  we  all  go  at  once  they  will  discover  us  and  you 
may  not  escape.  You  gentlemen  must  go  first;  while  I 
remain  they  will  not  suspect  that  you  are  gone.  They  are 
not  such  cowards  as  to  attack  a  woman  when  they  discover 
their  mistake." 

Another  stone  shattered  more  of  the  glass  and  accelerated 
Mr.  Ingledee's  movements  toward  a  little  closet  where  his 
hat  and  stick  were.  Chetta  moved  nearer  the  window  and 
Norwell  stepped  forward  to  lead  her  away.  Some  one  in 
the  crowd,  doubtless  thinking  his  figure  that  showed  con- 
spicuous in  the  gaslight  was  that  of  Ingledee,  suddenly  fired 
a  sb.ot,  the  fiist  one  that  had  been  heard.  It  was  followed  by 
a  woman's  scream,  and  two  or  three  more  shots  in  quick  suc- 
cession.    Chetta  Ingledee  clasped  her  side  convulsively,  stood 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  525 

still  for  a  moment,  then  fell  heavily  into  Norwcll's  arms  as  he 
caught  her,  horror  stricken  at  the  suddenness  of  the  terrible 
deed.  The  fatal  bullet  had  entered  the  region  of  the  stomach 
and  torn  its  way  through  the  vital  organs.  Roker  uttered  a 
cry  of  horror  which  caused  Mr.  Ingledee  to  turn  in  time,  to 
see  his  daughter  fall,  limp  and  helpless,  into  Norwell's  arms. 
He  rushed  to  her  side,  asking  frantically: 

"Are  you  hurt,  darling?  Speak  to  me.  What  is  it,  my 
child?" 

She  looked  up  into  Norwell's  face,  while  a  smile  played 
over  the  features  from  which  the  blood  had  already  fled. 
Then  she  spoke  faintly  and  gasping: 

"Tom,  don't  let  me  fall.  I'm  so  dizzy.  Papa,  save  your- 
self." 

"Roker,  go  for  a  physician,  quick — quick!"  said  Mr. 
Ingledee. 

The  agonized  father  hastily  tore  open  the  clotliing  of  his 
dying  child,  as  she  lay  on  the  floor,  her  head  supported  on 
Norwell's  knee.  The  beautiful  skin,  as  white  as  marble, 
showed  one  small  spot  hardly  as  large  as  a  cherry  witii  a 
dark,  blood-colored,  narrow  ring  around  its  edge.  Not  a  drop 
of  blood  issued  from  the  wound.  "Chetta,  speak  to  me;  are 
you  badly  hurt?"      She  opened  her  eyes  and  said  faintly: 

"  Papa,  are  you  safe?  " 

"  Yes,  daughter,  I  think  the  danger  is  over.  Are  you 
much  hurt,  Chetta  ?  " 

"  Papa,  I  am  dying." 

A  moan  from  the  stricken  parent  was  the  only  answer. 
There  was  a  brief  pause.  No  more  shots  had  been  fired  and 
a  platoon  of  police  were  now  clearing  the  streets.  The 
dying  woman  breathed  very  hard.  The  diaphragm  had  been 
torn  and  disabled  by  the  shot.  Neither  of  the  men  uttered  a 
single  word  during  this  minute  of  intense  suspense.  "Please 
raise  my  head,"  she  murmured  very  faintl}'.  Norwell  drew 
her  head  and  shoulders  into  a  more  comfortable  position,  rest- 
ing them  against  his  body  a^^  he  kneeled  on  the  floor.  The 
woman  who  had  loved  him  all  her  life  was  now  dving  in  his 
arms.  Soon  there  was  a  convulsive  struggle  for  a  brief 
moment,  and  the  face  was  distorted  by  a  spasm  of  intense 
pain.  Then  a  peaceful  expression  passed  over  the  blood- 
less features  of  the  woman. 

"  Papa,"  she  said  in  a  low  tone,  "I  am  going."  Then  she 
looked  at  him  with  an  expression  of  intense  wistfulness.  He 
stooped  down  and  tenderly  inquired: 


526  AN     IKON    CROWN. 

"  Do  you  wish  anything  dear? 

"  Kiss  me,  papa." 

Tears  rained  down  the  cheeks  of  this  iron-willed  man  as 
he  thought  of  his  child  that  had  spent  her  life  scarcely  know- 
ing  a  parent's  love.  He  suddenly  rememhered  that  he  had 
not  kissed  her  since  she  was  a  child  He  kissed  her  tenderly 
and  hurst  out: 

"  Oh,  my  child,  my  precious  child." 

She  had  closed  her  eyes  and  did  not  appear  to  hear  him. 
In  the  last  moments  hefore  eternity  was  about  to  claim  his 
child,  this  wordly-minded,  money-worshiping  man  saw  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  that  there  are  things  which  all  the 
millions  in  the  world  can  not  buy.  A  kiss  on  the  lips  of  the 
dying,  outweighed  his  threescore  millions. 

Slie  turned  her  eyes  to  Nor  well  with  a  look  of  ineffiible 
peace.  Her  eyes  met  his  for  an  instant.  Then  they  sought 
her  father's  face  as  he  leaned  over  her  in  an  agony  of  appre- 
hension. There  was  a  [witching  of  the  fingers,  a  movement 
of  the  limbs,  a  feeble  attempt  at  catching  the  breath,  and 
Chetta  Ingledee  was  dead. 

The  physician  came  too  late.  It  was  the  undertaker  who 
was  to  perform  his  office  now.  Roker  assisted  Mr.  Ingledee 
into  a  carriage.  Tom  Norwell  walked  out  alone,  needing 
assistance  much  more  than  the  bereaved  father.  The  black- 
ness of  death  and  disaster  had  suddenly  overspread  the  entire 
sky  of  his  life.  His  oldest,  best  friend  had  died  to  save  him. 
The  events  of  the  last  two  days,  so  full  of  dire  calamity,  had 
culminated  in  an  awful  tragedy,  and  the  end  was  not  yet. 
He  was  no  longer  able  to  reason  his  way  into  any  safe 
haven  of  refuge.  He  could  only  imagine  still  worse  things, 
for  thei'e  was  one  thing  that  might  be  worse  than  all  that  had 
happened.  In  his  overwrought  condition  there  seemed  to  be 
b*e  no  way  out  of  these  dark,  uncertain  dangers.  Life  he 
thought  could  never  again  be  so  sweet  for  him.  The  elas- 
ticity of  mind  which  in  his  youth  had  continually  sprang 
over  all  obstacles,  was  now  lost.  Instead  was  only  a  funeral 
pall  of  despair  that  barred  from  his  mind  every  pleasant 
thought.  One  avenue  to  a  region  where  there  was  still  sun- 
shine lay  open.  One  star  of  hope  still  shone  above  the  angry 
waters.  There  was  light  and  life,  but  still  the  sad  remem- 
brances of  the  past  must  cling  round  the  peaceful  abode  to 
which  this  one  small  star  might  lead  him — the  home  which 
he  should  share  with  his  crushed  but  still  beautiful   Prairie 


AN    IRON    CROWN,  5^7 

Flower.  With  her  he  would  give  up  this  struggle  for  wealth 
and  live  in  humble  content  made  wiser  b}'  the  awful  lessons 
of  the  past.  Then  a  spectral  shape  rose  between  him  and 
this  haven  of  j^eace,  and  sick  at  heart,  he  strove  not  to  think 
at  all.  It  was  best  to  have  surcease  of  thought  and  let  events 
take  their  own  way,  since  their  course  could  not  be  changed 
by  much  thinking. 

As  soon  as  he  had  collected  his  thoughts  a  little,  Norwell 
determined  to  go  home  at  once  and  break  the  news  to  Alice. 
He  dreaded  the  effect  it  might  have  on  May.  He  would 
leave  all  to  his  sister.  He  suddenly  longed  for  her  strong 
womanly  sympathy  and  advice,  which  would  do  so  much 
toward  putting  his  own  disordered  thoughts  to  rights.  He 
called  a  hack  and  ordered  the  man  to  drive  at  once  to 
Wilson's  house.  Alice,  anxiouslv  expecting  news,  met  him 
at  the  door.  The  startling  intelligence  was  told  in  a  few 
words.     She  listened  in   silence,  remarking  only  at  the  close: 

"  That  is  awful,  Tom." 

"Can  you  tell  May  without  exciting  her?' 

«  I'll  try." 

"How  do  you  think  she  will  take  it?" 

Alice  looked  him  in  the  face  for  a  moment.  But  his 
countenance  did  not  suggest  the  thought  she  feared. 

"  I'll  try  to  tell  it  so  she  will  not  be  shocked.  She  will  be 
very  sorry.     It  is  a  di^eadful  thing." 

May  heard  the  news  calmly  and  with  pity  for  the  sad 
fate  of  this  young  woman  to  whom  life  must  have  been  so 
sweet  and  fen-  whom  it  might  have  had  so  many  delights  in 
store.  She  thought  of  their  last  interview,  and  of  the  kind- 
ness shown  her  by  her  former  rival.  The  past  was  all  for- 
gotten in  a  moment,  and  only  tender  memories  of  the  dead 
remained. 

At  dinner  no  allusion  was  made  to  the  tragedy  of  the 
day.  Tom  explained  to  the  women  Wilson's  errand  to  Phil- 
adelphia. Mrs.  W^ilson,  who  had  unbounded  confidence  in 
her  husband's  judgment,  at  once  took  hope.  Her  cheerful 
confidence  gradually  aroused  Tom.  May,  who  knew  abso- 
lutely nothing  of  business,  thought  things  as  good  as 
settled  already,  and  was  content.  The  gloom  gradually 
lifted  around  Tom  until  he  began  to  see  light  before  him.  It 
was  not  the  sunlight  of  youth,  for  that  could  never  return 
acrain  with  the  spring  birds  and  the  flowers.  But  it  showed 
him  still  the  same   peaceful  retreat  with  the  figure  qf  a  fair- 


5^8  AN    IKON    CKOWN. 

haireil  woman,  and  peace.  He  began  to  see  clearly  the 
events  of  the  day  and  to  catch  a  part  of  his  sister's  hope  for 
the  future. 

With  returning  calmness  of  mind  he  began  to  study  more 
closely  the  slight  form  opposite  him,  as  her  blue  eyes  dwelt 
on  him  and  she  listened  eagerly  to  his  words.  He  was  pained 
to  see  how  fragile  she  looked.  The  slender  figure  appeared 
almost  as  delicate  as  some  of  those  dainty  productions  in 
glass,  that  the  slightest  blow  might  ruin  forever.  Her  cheek 
was  wasted  and  pallid,  excepting  a  faint  hectic  spot.  The 
brightness  of  the  eye  and  the  cheerful  manner  he  had  once 
before  taken  for  indications  of  returning  health.  Now  he 
could  not  bear  to  look  at  those  signs  which  bore  such  deep 
deception.  Again  the  shadowy  specter  rose  between  him 
and  that  quiet  land  of  sunshine.  It  hid  the  light  of  the  one 
star  that  had  shone  for  him  above  the  black  and  angry 
waters.  This  suspense  was  unbearable.  He  determined  to 
end  it,  although  he  shrank  from  the  possibilities  involved  in 
an  interview  with  Dr.  Barnet.  He  told  Alice  he  thought  of 
going  out  for  an  hour  or  so.  He  might  drop  in  at  the  club. 
He  needed  to  mingle  with  men  and  divert  his  mind.  She 
approved  of  his  purpose,  but  added  a  wish  that  he  might  get 
in  early.  They  would  wait  for  him.  He  took  his  sister's 
hand  at  j^arting: 

"Alice,  if  I  have  ever  been  unkind  to  you,  forgive  me. 
You  are  a  brave,  true,  good  sister.  Your  presence  is  sun- 
shine itself."  She  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck  and 
kissed  him. 

"  Why,  Tom,  what  else  should  a  sister  be?"  He  kissed 
her  again  and  said,  "  Good-night."  May  went  with  him  to 
the  door,  for  every  moment  of  his  presence  was  joy  to  her. 

"Tom,  I  know  things  must  come  out  all  right.  I  think 
you  are  not  quite  happy.  Do  you  really  care  so  much  for 
money?" 

"  God  bless  you,  little  girl,"  he  cried,  clasping  her  to  his 
bosom,  "  I  care  nothing  for  money  now.  You  are  all  the 
world  to  me."  She  nestled  close  to  his  bosom  and  mur- 
mured: 

"  Tom,  I've  been  very  foolish.  I  wronged  you  when  I 
doubted  you ;  forgive  me.  I  never  was  so  happy  as  I  am 
now."  She  had  thought  again  of  that  ill-omened  note  and 
her  active  conscientiousness  would  not  rest  till  this  confession 
was  made.     He   heard  it  all,  then  answered  gently: 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  539 

"May,  I  have  been  weak  and  wicked.  It  was  all  be- 
cause I  was  too  cowardly  to  face  duty  and  do  right  when  it 
was  disagreeable.  Let  us  bury  this  painful  subject  forever," 
The  lovers  in  this  moment  of  mutual  confession  and  con- 
doning were  supremely  happy.  The  perfect  confidence  that 
marks  perfect  love  had  been  attained.  There  could  be  no 
more  doubts.  For  a  moment  Norwell  saw  things  as  never 
before.  The  triumphs  of  love  and  duty  wei'e  worth  more 
than  all  the  victories  ever  achieved  in  Wall  Street  since  Wall 
Street  began.  But  this  vision  of  Eden  was  momentary. 
Again  the  shadow)''  specter  flitted  between  him  and  the  dis- 
tant land  of  sunshine,  which  for  an  instant  seemed  very  near. 
Snatching  a  hasty  kiss,  he  said,  "  Good-night,"  and  was  gone. 

The  news  of  the  tragedy  in  Mr.  Ingledee's  ofiice  had 
spread  with  the  rapidity  which  only  the  magic  of  electricity 
can  produce.  The  papers  issued  extras  with  startling  head- 
lines. Excited  crowds  scanned  the  bulletin  boards  and 
blockaded  the  sidewalks.  Men  sympathized  with  the  be- 
reaved father  whom  they  had  cursed  an  hour  before.  The 
community  was  inexpressibly  shocked  that  the  arm  of  ven- 
geance had  failed  on  a  defenceless,  innocent  woman. 

Pipe  M alley  was  standing  in  the  door  of  his  store  when 
a  boy  came  running  breathlessly,  crying,  ''AH  'bout  the  rite'n 
murder."  Pipe  bought  a  paper,  and  eagerly  looking  at  the 
display  lines,  dropped  it  in  surprise  and  in  a  tone  of  anguish 
exclaimed : 

"Quill,  she's  dead!" 

"Who's  dead,  Pipe?" 

"  Why  her,  Miss  Ingledee."  Quill's  only  response  to 
this  terrible  neWs  was  to  drop  a  package  he  was  tying  up 
and  spill  its  contents  on  the  floor.  He  stood  staring  at  Pipe 
as  if  waiting  for  further  information.  But  Pipe  could  only 
repeat : 

"  Ain't  it  awful,  Quill?" 

After  the  first  surprise  Quill  at  once  thought  of  how  he 
had  betrayed  his  dead  benefactress,  and*  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life  knew  what  remorse  was.  At  last  he  ventured  to  ask 
Pipe  who  sat  behind  the  desk,  saying  nothing: 

"  What  ailded  her.  Pipe?" 

"What  ailed  her!  why  she  was  killed  in  the  office.  Mur- 
dered! Don't  you  know?  It's  there  in  the  paper."  As 
Quill  had  not  seen  the  paper  he  could  not  well  be  expected 
to  know. 

34 


53° 


AX    IRON    CROWN. 


"I  believe  it's  a  He.  Nobody  had  a  grudj^e  agin  her  tin- 
less" — here  Quill  stopped  short — "Durn  him,  I'd  like  to  choke 
him  to  death,"  he  added  viciously,  as  he  slammed  a  weight 
down  on  the  counter. 

"Oh  you!  You're  green  as  grass,  Quill.  Nobody  did  it 
for  a  grudge.  The  fellow  just  shot  out  of  the  crowd  expect- 
ing to  kill  her  father,  and  killed  her.  That's  all  there  was  to 
it.     She  was  the  best  friend  I  ever  had." 

"  An'  we  never  behaved  half  decent  like  we  might  a'  done 
in  class." 

"  No  we  didn't,"  replied   Pipe  with  solemn  emphasis. 

At  supper-time  Quill's  appetite  was  completely  gone,  to 
Mrs.  Malley's  alarm.  She  was  unable  to  see  how  the  death 
of  this  dearly  beloved  teacher  should  take  away  appetite. 
vShe  herself  had  eaten  three  square  meals  the  day  Mr.  Malley 
departed  this  life,  for  grief  In  her  philosophy  she  saw  no 
reason,  and  she  was  right,  for  ignoring  the  wants.of  the  body 
because  of  the  sorrow  of  the  mind.  When  she  saw  Pipe  eat 
a  hearty  meal  she  was  fully  confirmed  in  her  view  that  some 
maladv  had  fastened  on  her  precious  Quill.  While  Mrs. 
Mallev  openly  admired  Pipe  as  the  smartest  of  the  two  bovs, 
she  surreptitiously  spoiled  and  abetted  Quill's  shortcomings 
behind  Pipe's  back.  She  loved  this  careless,  easy-going  boy 
because  he  was  the  inferior  of  the  other,  and  because  she 
thought  Pipe  was  sometimes  too  hard  on  him.  He  needed 
her  love  and  sympathy  and  she  gave  it  freely. 

"  Quill,  honey,  are  you  sick  ?  " 

"  No,"  was  the  rather  mournful  answer. 

"  But  yer  eatin'  nothin'." 

"  He  ate  enough  at  dinner  for  three   meals,"   replied  Pipe. 

"  I  didn't  either.     I  jist  ain't  hungry,  that's  all." 

As  this  was  the  first  time  in  Quill's  life  that  he  had  not 
been  hungry  at  meal  time,  Mrs.  Malley  quietly  called  him 
aside  after  supper  to  diagnose  his  symptoms.  Finally  under 
promise  that  she  must  not  tell  Pipe,  Quill  related  to  his 
mother  the  circumstances  of  his  carrying  the  note,  allowing 
Roker  to  see  it,  and  finally  delivering  it  to  the  wrong- 
person. 

"Do  you  think  she'll  bring  it  up  agin  me,  mother?"  It 
was  difficult  to  see  how  the  dead  woinan  could  bring  anything 
lip  against  any  one  now;  but  Quill's  conscience  was  very 
tender  as  he  i-eflected  on  what  he  had  done.  He  accused 
himself  bitterly  to  his  mother. 


AN    IRON    CROWN,  53 1 

"  Mother,  I  jist  feel  so  mean  I  can't  bear  to  think  of  it. 
I  hain't  fit  to  Hve,  that's  what  I  hain't."  Into  his  humble 
life  had  come  a  kind  friend;  across  his  pathway  lay  golden 
opportunities.  He  had  betrayed  that  friend  and  despised  tlie 
opportunities.     He  hated  himself  for  it. 

"  Quill,  you've  been  a  bad  boy.     Are  you  really  sorry?" 

"  Awful  sorry,  mother." 

"  Then  I  don't  think  she  will  bring  it  up  agin  you." 
Quill  felt  relieved  to  think  that  his  mother  looked  on  the 
transaction  as  one  that  could  be  forgiven.  Mentally  he  fairly 
groveled  in  the  dust  of  penitence  while  his  indignation  steadily 
grew  against  Horace  Roker  who  had  led  him  to  commit  this 
sin  of  blackest  ingratitude. 


CHAPTER    LHI. 

THE    SHADOW    THAT    WALKED    BEFORE. 

Norwell  went  directly  to  Dr.  Barnet's  office  and  found 
the  doctor  in.  He  began  at  once,  for  this  suspense  was  un- 
bearable. Be  the  Doctor's  opinion  what  it  might  it  was 
better  to  know  all  than  endure  such  uncertainty.  Dr.  Barnet 
as  usual  began  with  generalities.      Tom  stopped  him  short. 

"Doctor,  I  want  to  know  the  facts  in  this  case.  I  must 
know  them." 

"  Then  you  are  a  near  friend  of  the  young  lady?  " 

"  She  is  my  affianced  bride." 

"  Her  case  is  very  serious.  You  may  as  well  accustom 
yourself  to  consider  it  dangerous." 

The  doctor  paused.  He  was  loth  to  pronounce  the  death 
doom  of  the  hopes  of  this  young  man  before  him.  He  knew 
nothing  of  the  magnitude  of  that  mountain  of  calamity  that 
three  or  four  days  had  heaped  on  Norwell's  shoulders. 

"  Go  on,  Doctor.  I  am  prepared  for  the  worst.  Is  there 
no  hope?  " 

"  None  whatever.  Miss  Bryce  is  in  an  advanced  stage  of 
consumption." 

Norwell  was  very  calm.  He  made  no  exclamations.  He 
listened  as  the  prisoner  at  the  bar  listens  while  the  judge 
pronounces  the  sentence  of  death. 


Do^ 


AN    IRON    CROWN. 


"Can  nothing  be  done,  Doctor?  Would  a  change  of 
climate — would  California  do  her  any  good?" 

"  Too  late,"  said  Dr.  Barnet,  as  he  shook  his  head  sadly. 
"Six  months  ago  or  even  three  months  ago  it  might  have 
saved  her,  but  the  work  is  done  now." 

"  How  long  do  you  think  she  may  live?" 

"  But  a  few  months,  perhaps  six,  may  be  not  so  many 
weeks."     • 

Norwcll  left  the  office  heedless  of  the  direction  he  took. 
He  walked  like  a  somnambulist  who  is  not  conscious  of  time, 
jolace,  or  action.  But  his  brain  was  exceedingly  busy.  The 
past  rose  before  him  in  rapid  review.  He  thought  of  the  first 
time  he  had  met  May  and  of  that  first  stolen  kiss  on  the  bridge. 
He  thought  of  Chetta  Ingledee's  life  of  devotion  to  him  and 
of  the  last  look  of  love  in  her  dying  eyes  which  smote  him 
with  reproaches.  He  had  slighted  one  woman  who  had  died 
to  save  him  and  had  been  false  to  another  who  was  soon  to 
follow  her  to  the  grave,  all  for  love  of  him.  In  his  agony  he 
cried  out,  "  My  God,  what  have  I  done!"  Again  that  shad- 
owy phantom  crossed  his  path  shutting  out  the  rays  of  the 
one  benignant  star  whose  light  he  had  followed.  This  time 
it  was  nearer  and  moi  e  distinct.  He  saw  it  now  without  fear. 
Life  for  him  had  no  charms,  death  no  terrors.  He  thought  of 
Wilson's  errand  for  help  and  of  its  possible  outcome,  with  the 
indifference  of  one  in  no  w^ay  interested.  The  one  great 
trouble  of  threatened  ruin  no  longer  gave  him  any  uneasiness. 
It  was  only  the  inconvenience  of  a  trifling  episode,  the  petty 
annoyance  of  a  day  now  laid  aside.  He  walked  on  sometimes 
in  busy  streets,  sometimes  in  deserted  streets,  not  knowing 
the  difference  between  them.  Now  and  then  amid  the  human 
forms  he  caught  the  outline  of  that  spectral  shadow  that  each 
time  seemed  a  little  nearer  and  clearer.  He  looked  on  it 
calmly,  almost  curiously.  He  turned  into  Broadway,  which 
at  tiiis  time  of  night  was  nearl}'  deserted.  The  great  thor- 
oughfare which  he  had  traversed  thousands  of  times  seemed 
to  recall  him  partially  to  a  sense  of  his  condition.  The  famil- 
iar landmarks  reminded  him  that  business  and  joy  and  hope 
and  love  were  not  for  him.  He  had  done  with  them  all,  and 
dismissed  them.  But  the  faces  that  he  had  often  seen  on  that 
street  would  not  be  dismissed.  Again  he  saw  tlie  love  look 
in  Chetta's  dying  eyes  and  almost  instantly  May  Bryce's 
sweet  p.ale  face,  with  its  saddened  expression.  With  a  moan 
he  plunged  into  a   less  known  side  street.     Better  darkness 


AN    I  HON    t'UOWN. 


53^ 


and  that  grim  threatening  shadow,  than  such  awful  memories. 
He  walked  for  hours,  not  realizing  the  flight  of  time.  At  last 
he  was  roused  to  the  consciousness  that  he  had  left  his  sister 
and  sweetheart  at  home  awaiting  his  return. 

The  two  women  at  home  sat  in  silence,  waiting  for  the 
return  of  the  lover  and  brother.  Neither  referred  to  the 
dreadful  event  of  the  day,  though  the  thoughts  of  both  had 
been  busy,  Alice  took  a  book,  and  May  sat  thinking,  till  the 
silvery  tones  of  the  clock  indicated  the  hour  often. 

"  It  is  getting  late,  Alice.      Why  doesn't  he  come?" 

"  It  isn't  late  yet.  May.  Tom  often  stays  out  till  after 
eleven." 

"  But  he  promised  to  come  back  early,  and  we  were  to 
wait,  you  know." 

"  He  has  met  some  friends,  doubtless.  It  will  do  him  good 
to  talk  to  them." 

Alice  laid  aside  her  book,  and  the  two  women  drawing 
nearer  together,  talked  confidentially  of  old  times.  Lately,  for 
some  reason  May  delighted  to  tell  of  her  childhood  home  in 
the  beautiful  prairies  of  Illinois.  She  loved  to  dwell  on  the 
little  incidents  of  farm-life.  There  was  a  certain  old  gnarled 
apple-tree  in  the  orchard  at  home,  where  the  great  branches 
formed  a  swinging  seat.  Here  she  had  often  sat  when  a  girl, 
with  a  favorite  book  which  she  read  betimes,  while  the  pink- 
ish-white petals  of  the  fragrant  blossoms  showered  over  her 
golden  hair,  and  innumerable  bees  hummed  busily  and  darted 
honey-laden  away.  The  robin,  alarmed  at  this  fair  in- 
truder on  his  peculiar  domain,  with  much  fretful  ado  quirked 
and  complained  as  he  flitted  from  tree  to  tree  in  tlie  vicinity. 
Here  she  sometimes  sat  in  late  summer,  and  looked  off  over 
the  rolling  prairies  at  the  waving  cornfields,  shady  groves, 
and  dotted  farmhouses.  Here  away  to  the  southwest  she 
could  see  the  lines  of  the  fleec}'  "  thimderheads  "  pile  slowly 
one  on  top  of  another,  while  she  peopled  them  with  a 
fairy  world,  the  product  of  her  own  prolific  imagination. 
Here  she  was  startled  from  her  day-dreams  by  the  sudden 
swoop  of  the  red-headed  woodpecker,  who  had  a  mind  to 
banquet  on  the  tempting  crimson-cheeked  apples,  but  in  his 
turn  was  startled  at  the  unexpected  vision  in  the  old  tree,  and 
flew  away  with  a  wavi^ig  flight  to  the  highest  point  of  the 
barn-roof,  or  the  dead  branches  of  some  neighbonng  tall  tree. 
Then  he  waited,  while  perhaps  his  mate  in  the  distance 
pecked  a  rapid  succession  of  smart  blows  on  a  dry  rail  or  tree 


534  A^    IRON    CROWN. 

sounding  the  woodpecker's  rattle  so  familiar  to  the  ear  in  the 
American  forests  and  fields. 

May  deli,2;hted  to  dwell  on  these  tender  recollections.  She 
had  never  liked  the  bustle  and  turmoil  of  a  great  city,  and 
since  her  health  had  failed  she  longed  for  the  old  home. 
With  much  persuasion  Alice  had  induced  Mav  to  write  to  her 
father  and  mother  that  she  was  not  in  her  usual  health.  An 
answer  was  expected  soon.  Meantime  Alice  saw  that  her 
sick  friend  drooped  visibly,  day  by  day. 

The  little  clock  again  interrupted  their  conversation. 
With  deliberate  silvery  strokes  it  pealed  out  eleven.  The 
last  stroke  seemed  delayed  for  an  instant,  as  if  it  dreaded  to 
alarm  this  patient,  suffering  creature  to  whom  it  must  send  a 
pang. 

"Alice,"  asked  the  young  woman  in  a  low  tone,  "  do  you 
think  anything  has  happened  him?     I  am  uneasy." 

"  I  think  not,  dear.  Don't  be  alarmed,  you  know  you  are 
not  quite  strong  yet,  and  must  be  as  quiet  as  possible."  As 
Mrs.  Wilson  said  this,  she  silently  drew  nearer  to  the  fragile 
girl,  and  placed  an  arm  around  her  waist.  In  truth,  she  her- 
self was  uneasy.  "  Tom  has  met  some  friends.  It  is  bet- 
ter so." 

There  were  no  more  tender  reminiscences  of  the  old  home. 
There  was  only  anxious  watching.  Vehicles  of  all  kinds  had 
long  since  disappeared  from  the  streets,  excepting  an  occa- 
sional carriage  that  rolled  homeward,  bearing  its  occupants 
from  some  scene  of  pleasure.  Thus  runs  the  world  away. 
One  waits  in  lonely  silence  for  the  return  of  an  absent  one,  or 
watches  patiently  by  the  sick  bed,  while  another  goes  forth  to 
scenes  of  pleasure.  To-morrow  he  will  sit  in  mourning,  too, 
while  another  hastes  to  the  bridal  feast. 

Occasionally  the  women  went  to  the  window,  and  peered 
out  into  the  street  where  the  passers  were  now  very  few.  At 
times  they  started  as  they  felt  sure  they  heard  a  footfall  on  the 
steps  of  the  front  door.     It  was  all  a  fancy,  no  one  came. 

The  silvery  tongue  of  the  clock  slowly  pealed  twelve. 
Reluctantly  it  was  compelled  to  measure  the  flight  of  time. 

"  I  am  sure  something  has  happened,"  said  Mav  in  alarm. 

"I  think  not,  dear.  He  must  have  been  delayed,  and  find- 
ing it  late,  went  to  his  lodgings.  W'e  had  better  retire,  and 
meet  him  at  breakfast." 

While  Alice  said  this,  a  great  fear  which  she  was  obliged 
to  conceal,  possessed  her. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  ^35 

"We  promised  to  wait  for  him.  He  will  not  leave  us 
alone  to-night." 

"  But  you  are  not  strong,  May.  Go  to  bed,  and  get  your 
rest.     You  need  it.     I  will  sit  up  for  him." 

"  I  could  not  sleep.      I  will  wait,  too." 

Mrs.  Wilson  called  a  servant,  and  told  him  to  close  the 
Iiouse,  and  go  to  bed.  She  intended  to  wait  for  her  brother. 
The  man  obeyed,  and  soon  all  was  silent  in  the  house.  The 
night  was  dark,  though  the  drizzling  rain  had  ceased  in  the 
evening.  Carriages  were  heard  now  only  at  very  rare  inter- 
vals. Soon  the  silvery  voice  of  the  clock  pealed  one  with 
a  suddenness  that  alarmed  them.  It  had  got  through  its  dis- 
agreeable task  with  marvelous  dispatch,  compared  with  its 
very  deliberate  work  of  recording  twelve.  To  end  this  ter- 
rible suspense,  Mrs.  Wilson  now  sent  a  servant  to  her  broth- 
er's lodgings  to  inquire  if  he  had  returned.  It  was  but  a 
short  distance,  and  soon  the  man  came  back,  saying  that  with 
much  difficulty  he  had  aroused  the  house,  and  that  Mr.  Nor- 
well  had  not  been  in  that  evening. 

May's  anxiety  now  caused  a  violent  fit  of  coughing  which 
sounded  dreadfully  alarming  in  the  great  silent  house.  Her 
friend,  with  a  mother's  solicitude,  administered  a  rem.edy,  and 
urged  her  again  to  go  to  bed.  The  night  air  was  getting 
chill,  and  the  fire  in  the  grate  was  out.  May  persisted  in  re- 
fusal. She  could  not  sleep  while  the  dreadful  thought  haunted 
her  that  something  might  have  happened  to  him.  Alice  then 
threw  a  shawl  about  the  invalid  who  sat  in  an  easy  chair,  and 
the  vigil  continued.  Now  there  were  no  sounds  in  the  streets. 
The  great  cit}'  slept  as  nearly  as  a  city  may,  which  never  sinks 
to  perfect  repose. 

Alice  had  rapidly  sunk  into  a  condition  of  alarm  that  ap- 
proached despair,  and  realizing  her  brother's  great  troubles, 
and  the  effect  that  the  tragedy  of  the  day  must  have  had  on 
him,  she  feared  that  it  might  unsettle  his  mind  temporarily. 
She  thought  of  this  again  and  again,  and  each  time  with 
increasing  fear  of  the  one  terrible  event — suicide. 

The  stillness  of  the  house  was  oppressive,  and  had  in  it 
something  of  terror  to  the  two  watchers,  who  drew  closely 
together  in  sympathy.  For  a  brief  space  the  silence  was  per- 
fect. But  the  eye  of  a  million  people  is  never  wholly  closed. 
The  wants  of  civilization  turn  night  into  day,  and  universal 
sleep  is  unknown.  As  the  British  Empire  boasts  that  the  sun 
never  sets  on  her  dominions,  so  a  great  city  may  boast,  if  such 


536  AN    IRON'    CROWN. 

a  vaunt  be  a  matter  of  self-congratulation,  that  she  never 
sleeps.  Her  vigil  is  eternal.  It  plants  the  seeds  of  death,  for 
it  is  said  that  ten  thousand  more  people  die  every  yeai"  in  New 
York  than  are  born  there.  This  great  waste  is  made  up  from 
the  country,  where  men's  nerves  are  steadied  by  the  balm  of 
perfect  sleep,  the  only  elixir  of  life. 

The  tide  of  restless  humanity  had  ebbed  to  its  lowest 
point,  and  stood  still  for  a  moment  before  the  re-awakening. 
These  women  waiting  for  a  loved  one  had  seen  it  decline,  and 
their  hopes  slowly  sank  with  it,  till  the  depths  of  despair  were 
reached,  in  mutual  silence.  Neither  dared  speak  her  thoughts 
to  the  other,  though  each  one  knew  the  other's  thoughts.  A 
noise  in  a  neighboring  business  street  aroused  them.  A 
baker's  wagon  rattled  over  tlie  stony  pavements  on  its  route 
supplying  restaurants  which  were  obliged  to  open  early. 
The  day  had  begun,  but  not  the  dawn.  In  a  low  tone  Alice 
broke  the  silence: 

"  It  will  soon  be  morning." 
•  "Hark!  what  is  that?"  asked  May,  whose  sensitive  ear 
caught  the  slightest  sound.  The  quick  step  of  a  man  was 
heard  outside.  His  figure  could  be  dimly  seen  in  the  dvdl 
light  from  a  street  lamp  at  the  corner.  He  ascended  the 
steps,  and  paused  to  read  the  name  on  the  door-plate.  The 
hearts  of  the  women  stood  still  in  dread  expectation.  It  was 
not  the  one  they  looked  for;  he  would  unlock  the  door,  and 
enter.  Then  the  door-bell  rang  violently,  startling  the 
women  as  its  echoes  sounded  through  the  silent  house. 
Neither  spoke,  but  both  felt  that  something  had  happened. 
Instantly  Mrs.  Wilson  was  at  the  door.  Putting  on  the 
guard-chain,  she  cautiously  opened  the  door  a  few  inches. 

"  Does  Mr.  Wilson  live  here?" 

"Yes;  what  is  wanted?  " 

"  Do  you  know  a  Mr.  Norwell?  " 

"Yes;  he  is  my  brother.     Something  has  hajjpened?" 

"An  accident  in  the  street,  ma'am.  The  gentleman  was 
run  down  by  a  carriage  that  turned  the  corner  on  him  too 
quick.  He  was  brought  home  to  19  Amsterdam  Place  insen- 
sible.   The}-  found  this  address  on  some  papers  in  his  pocket." 

"  I  will  go  to  him  at  once.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to 
go  to  the  stables  around  on  the.  next  street,  and  order  a  hack 
instantly?  " 

"Certainly,  Ma'am,"  said  the  man,  then,  after  hesitating, 
he  added:  "Don't  be  alarmed  too  much,  ma'am,  but  he  is 
very  badly  injured." 

\ 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  53^ 

The  man  knew  there  was  little  hope,  and  the  anxious 
women  arrived  only  to  find  the  loved  one  unconscious  from 
a  ghastly  wound  in  the  head  where  it  had  struck  the  sharp 
curbstone.  May  entered  first,  and  stood  for  a  moment  like 
one  suddenly  struck  by  a  mortal  shaft,  then  threw  herself 
upon  the  motionless  form  and  burst  into  a  passionate  grief. 
One  by  one  the  strangers  silently  stole  from  the  room,  and 
the  anxious  sister  and  stiicken  sweetheart  were  left  alone 
with  their  dear  one  in  the  solemn  gray  twilight  of  the  early 
morningf. 


CHAPTER    LIV. 


A     FADING     FLOWER. 


The  angel  of  death  has  been  busy  with  the  characters  of 
tliis  history,  and  sorrow  has  sometimes  entered  where  jov 
might  have  been  expected.  But  this  book  has  not  been 
written  to  depict  all  things  as  pleasant,  and  cater  to  any  idle 
desire  for  mere  amusement.  In  the  estimation  of  the  writer, 
life  is  far  too  serious,  its  work-day  needs  too  pressing,  its 
leisure  too  small,  its  duties  too  great,  its  pathos  too  real  for 
any  one  to  spend  weary  months  of  hard  labor  and  precious 
time,  that  dearest  of  all  things  sold  from  nature's  store,  to  pro- 
duce a  book  for  mere  amusement;  or  for  any  one  to  read 
such  a  book  simply  because  it  is  a  story,  and  may  perhaps 
tickle  witli  some  odd  conceit  the  already  surfeited  palate  of  the 
reading  public. 

This  narration  is  sometimes  sad,  because  life  is  very  often 
sad.  Mirth  is  a  medicine,  and  habitual  sadness  is  not  good 
for  man.  But  sorrow  is  the  crucible  that  refines  character  till 
the  pure  gold  far  outshines  the  meretricious  glitter  of  fool's 
gold.  It  is  better  to  weep  sometimes  with  Niobe,  than  to  grin 
forever  with  Comus.  It  is  best  to  know,  once  for  all,  and 
never  forget,  that  certain  lines  of  conduct  can  onl}-  lead  to 
suffering,  and  that  others  will  lead  to  happiness,  come  what 
may.  It  is  well  to  know  that  monev  in  itself  is  not  happi- 
ness; that  the  man  who  in  this  life  seeks  only  money,  who 
toils  for  it  by  day,  dreams  of  it  by  night,  and  perhaps 
acts  dishonestly   to   get   it,  is   laying  up  for  himself  only  dis- 


53S  AN    IROM    CROWK. 

appointment  for  old  age,  and,  if  he  be  not  utterly  lost  to  the 
finer  feelings  of  human  nature,  remorse  for  his  death-bed  and 
despair  for  his  soul. 

It  is  well  to  keep  it  forever  before  our  eyes,  that  we  can 
not  remedy  evils  by  ignoring  them.  All  that  the  tyrant,  the 
extortioner,  the  evil-doer  asks  is  to  be  let  alone.  We  can  not 
shirk  our  duties  as  citizens  on  the  plea:  These  things  do  not 
trouble  me;  my  family  and  my  interests  arc  safe.  The  pub- 
lic weal  is  the  first  duty  of  every  citizen.  When  this  princi- 
ple is  forgotten  in  a  selfish  and  disgraceful  scramble  for  office, 
spoils,  and  emoluments,  democratic  government  has  witnessed 
the  beginning  of  the  end. 

Finally,  it  is  well  for  us  to  remember  that  we  can  not,  if 
we  would,  escape  the  consequences  of  our  own  acts;  and  that, 
though  we  may  manfully  face  these  consequences  for  our- 
selves, we  may  bring  sorrow  to  other  hearts,  and  ruin  toother 
firesides,  while  we  are  powerless  to  avert  tPie  blow. 


A  few^  months  have  elapsed  since  the  sad  events  recorded 
in  the  last  chapter.  The  scene  is  a  cottage  in  New  Jersey. 
People  move  quietly  within  and  speak  in  subdued  tones.  A 
fair  young  woman  lies  at  the  point  of  death.  The  sweet 
Prairie  Flower  has  slowly  drooped  day  by  day,  while  fond 
parents  and  kind  friends  watch  at  her  bedside.  It  is  again 
spring  time.  The  warm  south  wind  enters  at  the  open  win- 
dow, while  the  sun  shines  brightly  on  ihe  trees  outside  where 
the  happy  birds  sing.  May  Bryce  is  no  longer  able  to  sit  by 
the  window  and  watch  the  birds  build ;  but  her  bed  is 
brought  near,  and  she  can  hear  them.  Her  mother  sits  by 
the  bedside,  and  watches  with  breaking  heart,  the  wasted 
features  of  her  once  beautiful  child. 

On  that  face  there  is  only  sweet  peace  and  perfect  happi- 
ness. She  knows  that  she  is  going  to  die.  There  are  no 
more  fears,  no  more  doubts,  no  more  longings.  It  is  only  a 
step  from  this  world  of  sorrow  to  that  land  of  joy,  where 
every  wish  shall  be  pure,  and  every  sense  be  gratified.  She 
asks  her  stricken  father  and  mother  not  to  weep  for  her. 
Death  is  only  laying  off  an  old  gai  ment  for  a  new  one  that 
is  beautiful  and  perfect.  But  the  eyes  of  those  weeping 
parents  can  not  see  beyond  the  river  to  that  region  of  delight 
on    which    their   daughter   looks   with    perfect    resignation. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  539 

Their  tired  feet  still  tread  this  earth,  and  their  weary  liearts 
can  not  yet  give  up  the  things  of  this  life. 

"  Mother,  do  not  grieve,  it  is  only  for  a  little  while.  %We 
shall  all  meet  soon." 

"Yes,  child;  but  we  shall  be  very  lonely  in  the  old  house 
at  home." 

"  But  you  will  think  of  me,  and  then  you  will  know  that  I 
am  still  near  you.  How  I  should  like  to  see  the  old  liome 
again.     What  day  of  the  month  is  it,  mother?" 

"It  is  the  twentieth  day  of  May." 

"  The  apple  trees  are  now  in  full  bloom,  and  the  flowers 
are  thick  on  the  prairies.  I  think  it  would  do  me  good  to 
smell  them  again." 

"  Shall  I  give  you  this  bouquet  that  Miss  Hackett  brought 
you?" 

"  No,"  said  the  sick  girl  wearily,  motioning  the  flowers 
away;  "it  was  very  kind  of  Mary,  but  it  doesn't  smell  like 
the  flowers  at  home.     I  miss  the  apple  blossoms." 

"  Mr.  Wilson  will  get  you  some,  May." 

"No,  it  isn't  worth  while,  mother.  They  wouldn't  be 
just  like  our  apple  blossoms."  She  paused  awhile,  and 
gasped  for  breath — she  was  very  weak  now. 

"  Father  !  "  she  called  faintly. 

"  Yes,  May;  I  am  here,"  and  the  stricken  man  took  his 
seat  by  the  bedside. 

"  I've  been  thinking  about  our  old  home." 

"  Have  you,  child?  Well,  it's  a  pleasant  place  to  think 
about." 

"  I  did  wish  I  could  die  there,  but  that  is  over  now." 
His  tears  were  falling  fast,  but  he  dared  not  trust  his  voice 
to  say  a  word.  He  feared  to  distress  her  by  breaking  down 
completely. 

"  Do  you  think  the  boys  and  girls  will  think  of  me  some- 
times?" 

"  They  surely  will." 

"  Please  say  I  often  thought  of  them.  Give  my  old 
teacher,  Mr.  Hickson,  some  of  my  books.  He  would  like 
them." 

"  It  shall  be  done,  daughter."  Then  she  went  on  with 
various  little  bequests  to  her  former  young  friends  and  school- 
mates. She  spoke  with  a  childish  simplicity,  and  in  all 
things  seemed  more  and  more  a  child. 

At  last  she  spoke  with  sudden  eagerness: 


540  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

"  Father,  please  don't  sell  my  pony.  Poor  Dick!  I  know 
he  will  miss  me." 

*  I  will  keep  him  always,"  said  the  father,  in  a  choking: 
voice. 

"  May,  are  you  not  tired?  Perhaps  you  are  talking  too 
much  at  one  time,"  gently  suggested  the  mother.  She  closed 
her  eyes  as  if  thinking,  and  lay  very  still  for  a  few  minutes. 
A  sense  of  drowsiness  prevailed  in  the  room  as  the  afternoon 
sun  made  the  air  warm.  The  hirds  still  flitted  in  the  trees 
but  their  motions  were  more  languid.  A  bottlefly  that  had 
got  inside  suddenly  buzzed  up  against  the  window  pane  in  his 
efforts  to  escape.  The  noise  caused  the  sick  girl  to  open  her 
eyes.     "  Father,"  she  said  in  a  very  low  voice. 

"  What  is  it,  my  child  ?  " 

"  I  wish  to  ask  one  more  favor  before  I  die.  You  will 
not  refuse  me?"  He  knew  what  she  wanted  and  nodded,  his 
head  for  her  to  go  on.  __^ 

When  Mr.  Bryce  on  his  arrival  in  New  York  had  learned 
all  the  terrible  details  of  this  tragedy  of  his  daughter's  life, 
his  anger  had  flamed  hot  against  Tom  Norwell.  But  seeing 
the  distress  that  it  gave  May  he  had  never  said  anything  on 
the  subject  after  the  first  outburst  of  passionate  grief.  Mrs. 
Bryce  had  made  her  peace  with  May  on  that  subject  and  the 
dying  girl  now  longed  for  the  same  words  of  forgiveness 
from  the  father.  Tom  Norwell  had  lain  for  weary  weeks  at 
the  point  of  death,  not  caring  to  live.  When  the  Wilsons 
had  moved  from  their  fine  New  York  home  to  a  modest  res- 
idence in  a  suburban  town  of  New  Jersey  he  had  been  able, 
for  the  first  time,  to  leave  his  room.  Now  a  saddened,  broken 
man  he  came  daily  to  speak  a  few  words  with  his  dying  loved 
one.  Mr.  Bryce  had  quietly  but  persistently  refused  a  recon- 
ciliation.    He  was  ready  now  to  grant  his  child  anything. 

"Have  you  forgiven  him?     For  my  sake,  father,  please." 

"  Yes,  darling,  I  have  forgiven  him." 

"And  you  will  not  grieve  too  much  for  me,  will  you?" 

"Oh,  May!  May!  My  child,  my  poor  child.  My 
heart  is  broken."  In  spite  of  himself  the  gray-haired  man 
burst  into  a  fit  of  sobbing.  For  a  moment  a  look  of  pain 
was  on  her  worn  features,  but  it  soon  passed  and  as  his  tears 
ceased  to  flow,  her  old  happ}'  look  returned,  the  sunny  look 
of  her  girlhood. 

"  It  is  only  for  a  little  while,  father,  and  then  we  shall  all 
meet,  to  be  very  happy." 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  54' 

She  lay  in  a  seeming  reverie  for  a  few  minutes,  and  on 
rousing  herself,  the  bright  eyes  which  were  sunk  deej^ly  in 
the  wasted  sockets  looked  around  the  room.  Several  times 
this  was  repeated. 

"Do  you  wish  anything.  May?"  asked  the  mother. 

"  Has  he  come  yet?  " 

Mrs.  Bryce  walked  into  the  little  sitting  room  and  met 
Norwell,  who  had  just  arrived.  Whispering  a  few  words  in 
his  ear  she  led  him  into  the  sick  room.  The  two  men  shook 
hands  without  uttering  a  word,  though  tears  trickled  down 
the  cheeks  of  each.  Then  Tom  took  the  hand  of  the  sick 
girl. 

"Can  you  ever  forgive  me.  May?" 

"  Oh  Tom,  that  is  all  past.     I  can  die  happy  now." 

"I  can  never  forgive  myself,"  he  answered  with  choking 
sobs." 

"Please  do  not  say  that;  for  my  sake  will  you  try  to  for- 
get all?     For  my  sake?  " 

"Yes  May,  I  will  try." 

She  smiled  serenely,  and  was  finally  at  peace.  After  a 
few  minutes  of  silence  she  fell  again  into  the  old  condition  of 
reverie  that  was  half  sleep.  Again  there  was  a  wish  ex- 
pressed in  her  countenance. 

"What  is  it,  dear?" 

"Alice  and  Mr.  Wilson,"  was  the  faint  response. 

"Shall  I  call  them?" 

"  Yes." 

The  end  was  fast  approaching.  When  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wil- 
son came  in,  the  same  loving  smile  was  the  only  recognition. 
No  word  was  spoken  as  the  five  mourners  gathered  around 
the  bedside.  A  half  hour  passed  in  silence.  The  birds  no 
longer  were  noticed  at  the  window.  The  sun  sank  low  in 
the  west  but  no  one  saw  his  going.  The  dying  girl  lay  very 
still;  the  look  of  intelligence  slowly  faded  from  her  eyes 
which  were  fixed  vacantly  on  the  wall,  unless  their  attention 
was  diverted  by  some  movement  in  the  room.  Then  for  a 
moment  they  returned  to  the  father  and  mother,  only  to  fall 
into  a  vacant,  far-off  look  again. 

An  effort  to  speak  was  in  vain.  Only  the  word  "  Mother  " 
very  low,  could  be  distinguished  as  Mrs.  Bryce  leaned  over 
her  dying  child.  There  was  a  feeble  struggle  for  breath,  then 
perfect  repose  of  mind  and  body.  The  eyes  were  fixed  on 
the  distant  wall,  and   no   longer   recognized   things  of  earth. 


542  AN    IRON    CROWN. 

The  breath  came  very  feebly  and  with  longer  intervals, 
appeared  to  cease,  then  came  again  so  weak  as  to  be  almost 
imperceptible,  then  ceased  forever,  and  the  soul  of  the  Prairie 
Flower  had  bloomed  again  in  a  land  where  the  flowers  never 
fade  and  their  perfume  is  eternal. 


The  curiosity  felt  by  mankind  touching  the  affairs  of  other 
people  will  not  allow  this  story  to  end  without  a  few  words 
of  explanation  as  to  the  doings  of  the  other  characters  in  the 
book.  Mr.  Horace  Roker's  dream  of  the  future  has  suffered 
a  terrible  awakening.  It  has  passed  away  forever  with  her 
who  gave  the  vision  its  seductive  possibility.  Roker  felt  per- 
haps as  much  sorrow  at  the  death  of  Chetta  Ingledee  as  he 
was  capable  of  feeling  for  any  one.  But  his  disappointment 
at  seeing  his  long-cherished  hope  blighted  in  an  instant  was 
most  poignant. 

Mr.  Ingledee  sees  more  of  this  than  any  one  else  and  mis- 
taking Roker  as  he  always  has  done,  gives  him  credit  for  pos- 
sessing a  fine  feeling.  We  may  only  picture  in  our  imagina- 
tion the  proportions  of  Roker's  magnificent  plans,  for  he  con- 
fided fully  in  no  one.  He  yet  has  plans  which  are  left  for 
time  to  develop.  But  one  man  guesses  the  extent  of  Roker's 
ambition,  and  that  man  finds  him  indispensable  under  the  pres- 
sure of  business  cares  and  the  infirmities  of  growing  age.  To 
Henry  Ingledee,  Roker  is  now  a  necessity,  and  enjoying  the 
unusual  advantages  of  connection  with  so  many  millions,  that 
cool,  calculating,  soulless  man  is  rapidly  becoming  a  power 
among  the  money  kings  of  the  land.  Some  day  he  will 
doubtless  be  a  great  railway  king  himself,  as  he  possesses  all 
the  qualifications  for  that  modern  potentate,  namely  brains 
and  brass  in  plenty,  conscience,  none  at  all. 

Mr.  Ingledee  himself  has  grown  old  in  appearance.  His 
hair  once  jet  black  is  now  silvery.  The  lines  in  his  face  have 
deepened.  His  step  has  no  longer  the  proud  elasticity  of  a 
few  years  ago.  He  lives  alone  in  the  great  house  surrounded 
by  the  evidences  of  vast  wealth  which  he  can  not  enjoy. 
The  great  hope  of  his  life  perished  with  his  son.  The  death 
of  his  daughter  was  only  an  incident  compared  with  that 
other  crisis.  He  missed  her,  he  mourned  her,  but  not  as  he 
moinned  that  son  in  whom  all  the  hopes  and  ambitions  of 
his   life   centered.      The    death    of    his    children    has   only 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  543 

hardened  the  heart  of  Mr.  Ingledee.  The  temporary  gleam 
of  a  higher  humanity  that  lighted  his  soul  as  he  saw  his  child 
dying  before  him,  disappeared  with  her,  and  now  he  is  the 
same  iron- willed  man,  grasping  feverishly,  nay  almost  anx- 
iously after  more  gold.  This  unholy  lust  of  money  has  burned 
out  of  his  soul  nearly  every  generous  impulse,  though  he  still 
gives  to  charity,  and  sometimes  a  benefaction  to  some  public 
institution. 

The  vex-y  latest  exploit  of  Mr.  Ingledee  and  his  partners 
in  the  way  of  business  is  an  attempt  to  grab  several  million 
acres  of  public  lands  originally  granted  to  a  rival  road,  but 
which  reverted  to  the  people  because  no  road  was  ever  built 
in  conformity  with  the  act  granting  the  lands. 

Ophir  is  still  engaged  in  cornering  stocks  and  skin- 
ning lambs  in  Wall  street.  The  supply  of  juvenile  mutton 
holds  out  wonderfully  well.  Occasionally  he  gets  up  a 
colossal  squeeze  and  "milks"  the  street.  His  ways  are  no  less 
peculiar  than  of  old.  Ophir  knows  better  how  to  enjoy  life 
than  Ingledee.  He  spends  much  time  with  his  family  or  in 
wandering  through  his  vast  greenhouses.  Lately  he  has  con- 
ceived the  apparently  innocent  ambition  of  securing  a  speci- 
men of  every  kind  of  palm  known.  But  Mr.  Ophir  is  a  man 
who  will  do  to  watch;  perhaps  he  is  trying  to  "corner" 
palms. 

From  this  picture  of  soulless  extortion  we  turn  to  a  more 
wholesome  example.  Pipe  Malley,  whom  we  first  knew  as 
a  poor,  rngged,  illiterate  newsboy  has  become  a  useful  citizen. 
By  industry,  careful  econom3',  and  attention  to  business,  he 
has  obtained  a  good  start  in  the  world.  He  is  now  a  cleanly, 
well-dressed  man.  His  strength  of  character  has  given  him 
an  assured  ascendancy  over  his  mother  and  Quill.  If  he  at 
times  draws  the  reins  of  family  government  rather  tight  it 
can  be  said  in  his  defence  that  si^ch  a  course  is  conducive  to 
their  common  welfare. 

Quill  is  still  on  salary.  His  prospects  of  being  a  partner 
are  somewhat  dubious,  for  Pipe  insists  that  only  strict  atten- 
tion to  business  will  enable  anyone  to  earn  promotion.  Quill 
is  one  of  the  kind  who  are  destined  to  go  through  life  in  a 
hand-to-mouth  way.  ^is  speech  is  not  yet  regulated  strictly 
by  the  rules  of  syntax,  and  his  heels  still  occasionally  essay  a 
breakdown  in  Pipe's  absence  and  when  business  is  dull. 
The  twins  still  gratefully  remember  their  old  teacher  and 
benefactor,  Chetta   Ingledee.     It  may   be   of   interest   to  the 


544 


AX    IRON    CROWN. 


student  of  human  natare  to  add  that  each  at  times  savs  that 
Chetta  made  liim  what  he  is. 

Mrs.  Malley,  since  her  sons  have  done  so  well  in  tlie 
world,  no  longer  toils  at  the  washtub  but  spends  her  time  in 
housekeeping  duties.  Mary  Hackett  still  works  in  the 
bindery.  Aunt  Rhoda  is  getting  very  old  and  childish.  She 
seldom  goes  out.  Occasionally  Mary  takes  her  to  call  on 
their  dear  friend,  Mrs.  Wilson.  After  these  visits  the  old  lady 
is  usually  inclined  to  indulge  in  reflections  on  the  past,  and 
frequently  mentions  Mr.  Tom,  and  the  boy  whose  grave  is 
under  the  pines  in  that  far-off  mountain  land. 

Austin  Hickley  is  still  in  the  law,  and  the  Honorable 
Dave  Sawder  is  still  in  politics,  which  is  perhaps  all  that  the 
reader  cares  to  know  about  him. 

The  Snicker  family  is  still  in  the  social  swim.  The  Old 
Commoner  is  assiduously  scooping  a  million  out  of  sugar,  in 
spite  of  his  daughter's  protest  that  the  feat  has  been  per- 
formed often  enough  already.  Mr.  Fred  Snicker  is  still  indus- 
triously doing  society  with  his  little  cane  and  his  wainbow- 
layered  perfumes.  Miss  Harrie  Snicker  having  failed  to  cap- 
ture a  live  lord  or  a  mining  millionaire  has  received  Mr. 
Bradley  again  into  favor  much  against  the  will  of  paterfami- 
lias. The  Gallic  tongue  has  gone  out  of  fashion,  :ind  she  is 
again  obliged  to  speak  the  vernacular  for  want  of  a  more 
available  medium.  Mr.  Bradley  is  more  than  ever  devoted 
to  his  great  purpose  seconded  so  ably  by  Miss  Harrie,  though 
the  labor  of  his  herculean  task  is  beginning  to  tell  on  him 
and  his  duties  begin  to  wear  a  perfunctory  air. 

Arthur  Wilson  managed  to  save  a  competence  from  the 
wreck  of  his  affairs.  In  a  quiet  little  cottage  surrounded  by 
vines  and  shrubber}',  in  a  suburban  village,  over  in  New  Jersey, 
live  the  Wilsons,  a  very  happy  pair.  As  Arthur  comes  home 
from  his  business  at  six  o'clock,  he  is  met  by  the  smiling  face 
of  his  wife,  who  holds  in  h^r  arms  a  crowing,  bright-faced, 
chubby  boy,  who  is  just  beginning  to  say  "Papa,"  a  linguistic 
feat  that  is  usually  hailed  with  intense  satisfaction  by  young 
parents,  but  the  exact  period  of  whose  satisfactory  accomplish- 
ment is  not  so  well  defined  to  the  ear  of  a  disinterested  person. 
Sometimes  Mrs.  Wilson  complains  that  it  is  unfair  for  him 
always  to  kiss  Baby  before  he  kisses  the  mother,  but  there 
never  was  a  family  without  its  little  differences.  Wilson  is  no 
longer  possessed  with  desire  for  great  wealth.  The  lessons 
of  experience  have  sunk  deeply,  and  his  constant  reflection 
now  is  that  plenty  is  enough  for  any  man. 


AN    IRON    CROWN.  545 

In  a  secluded  valley  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  by  the  side 
of  a  clear  rushing  stream  stands  a  solitary  cabin.  Its  tenant 
is  a  ranchman  who  sells  his  produce  in  the  neighboring  min- 
ing camps.  He  lives  alone  in  the  simple  manner  of  a  moun- 
taineer. His  robust  frame  is  slightly  bowed  though  he  is  still 
a  young  man,  and  his  fine  face  has  an  expression  of  habitual 
thoughtfulness.  He  has  no  intimate  friends,  though  a  man 
known  far  and  wide  for  his  hospitality  and  his  habitual 
kindness  alike  to  stranger  or  friend.  In  his  bronzed  counte- 
nance, which  is  half  concealed  by  heavy  whiskers  and  shaded 
by  a  huge  sombrero,  the  observant  eye  may  recognize  our 
old  friend  Tom  Norwell. 


35 


NOTES   TO   AN    IRON  CROWN. 


OPINIONS   OF    NOTED    MEN. 

Lesl  some  may  think  that  the  author  of  this  work  is  needlessly 
alarmed  at  the  dangers  to  free  government  threatened  in  the  growing 
abuses  of  corporate  power,  the  following  utterances  of  eminent  men 
are  given  in  evidence.  They  are  only  a  few  out  of  hundreds  of  similar 
import  which  might  be  adduced. 

"I  am  persuaded  that  the  next  great  question  to  be  confronted  will  be 
that  of  corporations  and  their  relations  to  the  interests  of  the  people  and 
to  national  life.  The  fear  is  now  entertained  by  many  of  our  best  men 
that  the  National  and  State  Legislatures  of  the  Union,  in  creating  these 
vast  corporations  have  evoked  a  spirit  which  may  escape  and  defy  their 
conti-ol,  and  which  may  wield  a  power  greater  than  Legislatures 
themselves."  Jas.  A.  Garfield. 

House  of  Represe.ntatives,  Dec.  i6,  1869. 

"  Complaints  have  latelv  been  numerous  and  urgent  that  certain 
corporation*,  controlling  in  whole  or  in  part  tiie  facilities  for  the  inter- 
state carriage  ot  persons  and  merchandise,  over  the  great  railroads  of 
the  country,  have  resorted  in  their  dealings  with  the  public  to  divers 
measures  unjust  and  oppressive  in  their  character." 

Message  of  President  Arthur,  Dec.  4,  1883. 

"  Great  corporations  and  consolidated  monopolies  are  fast  seizing 
the  avenues  of  power  that  lead  to  the  control  of  the  government.  It 
is  an  open  secret  that  they  rule  states  through  procured  legislatures 
and  corrupted  courts;  that  they  are  strong  in  Congress;  and  that  they 
are  unscrupulous  in  the  use  of  means  to  conquer  prejudice  and  acquire 
influence.  This  condition  of  things  is  truly  alarming,  for  unless  it  be 
changed  quickly  and  thoroughly,  free  institutions  are  doomed  to  be 
subverted  by  an  oligarchy  resting  on  a  basis  of  money  and  corporate 
power."  Hon.  David   Davis, 

Ex-Associate  justice  of  U.  S.  Supreme  Court. 

"All  public  men  must  take  their  sides  on  this  question.  There  can 
be  no  neutrals.  He  that  is  not  for  us  is  against  us.  We  must  have  legal 
protection  against  these  abuses.  This  agitation  once  begun,  and  the 
magnitude  of  the  grievance  being  understood,  it  will  force  our  rulers  to 
give  us  a  remedy  against  it.  The  monopolists  will  resist  with  all  their 
?rts  and  influences,  but  fifty  millions  of  people  in  process  of  time  will 
l&arn  that  they  are  tifty  millions  strong." 

Hon.  J.  S.  Black, 
*  Ex- Attorney  General  of  the  United  States. 

(546) 


NOTES    TO    AN    IRON    CROWN.  547 

"  The  channels  of  thought  and  the  channels  of  commerce  thus 
owned  by  one  man  or  a  body  of  men,  what  is  to  restrain  corporate  power 
or  fix  a  limit  to  its  exactions  on  the  people?  What  is  there  to  hinder 
these  men  from  depressing  or  inflating  the  value  of  all  kinds  of  prop- 
ertj'  to  suit  their  caprice  or  avarice,  and  tliereby  gathering  into  their  own 
coffers  the  wealth  of  the  nation?  Wh;it  shall  be  said  of  the  spirit  of  a 
free  people  who  will  submit  without  protest  to  be  thus  bound,  hand  and 
foot?"  Hon.  Wm.  Windom, 

Ex- Secretary  of  Treasury  of  U.  S. 

"  In  my  judgment,  the  republic  can  not  long  live  in  the  atmosphere 
which  now  surrounds  the  ballot  box.  Moneyed  corporations  to  secure 
favorable  legislation  for  themselves  are  taking  an  active  part  in  elections 
by  furnishing  large  sums  of  money  to  corrupt  the  voter  and  purchase 
special  privileges  from  the  government.  If  money  can  control  the 
decision  of  the  ballot  box,  it  will  not  be  long  till  it  can  control  its 
existence." 

Message  of  Gov.  Gray,  of  Indiana. 

In  contrast  with  the  above,  read  the  following  remarkable  utterance 
of  William  Walter  Phelps,  a  m.illionaire  Congressman  from  New  Jer- 
sey, in  his  speech  on  the  Reagan  Inter-State  Commerce  Bill,  as  pub- 
lished in  the  Congressional  Record  of  Dec.  12,  1884.  If  he  speaks  the 
sentiment  of  railroad  men,  their  attitude  on  this  question  is  certainly 
plain  enough.  It  is  an  open  defiance  of  the  people,  and  a  challenge  of 
their  right  to  make  their  own  laws. 

"The  railways,  if  these  restrictions  should  become  laws,  will  osten- 
tatiously break  them  all.  That  will  challenge  public  attention,  and  public 
attention  is  redress.  Or  they  will  issue  an  order  that  the  whole  railroad 
system  shall  obey,  that  every  locomotive  from  sea  to  sea  shall  stay  in  its 
roundhouse." 

When  that  edict  goes  forth,  let  the  people  issue  another,  abrogating 
the  charter  of  every  railroad  in  the  United  States. 


NOTE    I. 

THE    MUSSEL    SLOUGH    TRAGEDIES. 

"  It  is  not  surprising  that  another  tragedy  has  been  added  to  the  dark 
history  of  the  Mussel  Slough  country.  It  is  simply  another  chapter  in 
the  old  story  of  the  conflict  of  might  against  right;  of  a  long  succession 
of  deep  and  deadly  injuries  ripening  in  a  harvest  of  blood  ;  of  the  oppressed 
striking  at  the  oppressors;  of  the  victims  of  injustice  and  cruelty  turning, , 
as  even  a  worm  will  turn,  and  stinging  the  feet  that  trample  on  them.' 
It  has  been  so  in  every  land  under  the  sun,  and  will  be  so  long  as  the 
world  lasts.  Traced  to  its  source,  the  bitter  enmities  engendered  flow 
from  greed  and  avarice.  The  conflict  is  simply  one  wherein  organized 
wealth  has  sought  to  rob  the  settler  of  his  home  for  the  railroads  will 
pillage  the  farmer  of  his  house  and  lands  as  readily  as  they  rob  the  mer- 
chant and  tradesman.     Everything  is  fish  which  comes  to  the  railroad 


54S 


NOTES    TO    AN    IKON    CROWN. 


net.  It  is  not  necessary  for  the  '  Examiner'  to  relate  the  iiistory  of 
these  contests.  They  are  familiar .  to  the  people  of  the  State.  Such 
robberies  have  been  so  common  as  to  have  lost  even  the  semblance  of 
novelty.     *     *     * 

"Two  men,  McAuliffe  and  Riley,  were  the  other  day  put  in  pos- 
session, as  railroad  tenants,  of  settler  Cockrell's  property.  Yesterday 
McAuliffe  was  found  dead,  shot  through  the  heart." 

— San  Fraiiciico  Examiner^  Nov.  13,  1883. 

See  also  the  powerful  story  by  C.  C.  Post,  "  Driven  from  Sea  to 
Sea,"  page  jo,  on  Iowa  case.  Also  page  322,  et  seq.  on  Southern  Pacific 
case  alluded  to  above. 

NOTE   II. 

COST    OF    THE    PACIFIC    RAILROADS    AND    THEIR    SUBSIDIES. 

The  Report  of  the  House  Judiciary  Committee,  which  investigated 
this  subject  in  connection  with  the  Credit  Mobilier,  showed  these  facts 
in  connection  with  the  three  sub-contracts  for  building  the  Unipn  Pacific. 
Actual  cost  to  Credit  Mobilier: 

Hoxie  Contract $  7,806,183.33 

Ames         "         27,285,141.99 

Davis         "         15,629,633.62 


$50,720,958.94 
Charged  to  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company  by  Credit  Mobilier: 

Hoxie  Contract $12,974,416.24 

Ames         " 57,140,102.94 

Davis         " 23,431,768.10 


$93,546,287.28 

Difference  (profits) 4  2,825,328.34 

To  which  add  $1,104,000  for  58  miles  already  paid  for. . .  .      1,104.000.00 

Total  steal $43,929,328.34 

The  Contract  and  Finance  Company,  composed  of  C.  P.  Hunting- 
ton, Leland  Stanford,  Charles  Crocker,  E.  B.  Crocker,  and  Mark  Hop- 
kins, built  the  Central  Pacific  from  Sacramento  east.  Although  they 
escaped  Congressional  investigation,  there  is  no  doubt  that  they  employed 
like  methods  with  similar  profitable  results.  Their  profits  have  been 
estimated  in  the  following  manner.  The  actual  cost  of  the  Union 
Pacific  was  $50,000,000,  length,  1,008  miles  (allowing  the  Company's 
own  excessive  figures,  which  are  about  double  what  they  should  be.) 
The  Central  Pacific,  which  is  150  miles  shorter,  could  not  have  cost 
more.  Therefore,  credit  the  Central  Pacific  with  that  amount.  Charge 
the  Credit  and  Finance  Company'  with  the  following: 

U.S.  Subsidy  bonds  Central  Pacific $25,885,120 

"  "  "     Western     "    absorbed  by  Central  Pacific      1,970,560 

First  mortgage  bonds.  Act  of  '64 28,000,000 

Stock  Central  Pacific 54,000,000 

Land  Bonds ." 10,000,000 

$119,855,680 


NOTES    TO    AN    IRON    CROWN.  549 

Here  5s  a  clear  profit  on  construction  iilone  of  over  $69,000,000. 
The  profits  of  this  road  are  ordinarily  about  $10,000,000  per  year.  The 
combined  wealth  of  all  these  men  befo's  they  bej^an  the  building  of  the 
Central  Pacific  Road  was  less  than  $100,000.  Was  there  ever  a  greater 
gift  to  any  bo  ly  of  men  or  to  any  corporation,  since  the  dawn  of 
history  ? 

SUMMARY. 

The  Pacific  Railroad  construction  transactions  may  be  summarized 
as  follows:  2,000  miles  of  roads,  at  the  companv's  excessive  figures  of 
$50,000  per  mile  cost  $  ico,ooo,ooo,  but  in  reality  not  over  $55,000,000. 
The  company  received  to  pay  for  this : 

U.  S.  bonds $55,000,000 

Their  own  first  mortgage  bonds  50,000,000 

Stock  which  the  law  required  to  be  sold  at  par,  but  for  which 
they  did  not  pay  over  30  cents  on  the  dollar  (in  fraudu- 
lent contracts) , 90,000,000 

Land  bonds,  2 1 ,000,000  acres 20,000,000 

$215,000,000 

Profit  (steal) $160,000,000 

The  above  estimate  gives  land  bonds  at  $20,000,000,  while,  in  fact, 
the  lands  were  worth  from  $1  to  $6  per  acre,  or  a  total  of,  say, 
$70,000,000  at  $3.50  per  acre.  It  is  reasonable,  therefore,  to  estimate 
the  entire  Pacific  Railroad  steal,  in  all  its  crooked  phases,  at  two  hundred 
and  ten  million  dollars. 

THE    PACIFIC    LAND   GRANTS. 

"  Independent  of  the  postponement  of  our  vast  debt  to  a  private 
debt,  we  gave  them,  as  the  judiciary  committee  show  in  their  report, 
coal  lands  alone,  as  their  directors  say,  larger  than  all  the  anthracite  coal 
fields  of  Pennsylvania.  We  gave  them  21,000,000  acres  of  land,  or  over 
33,000  square  miles,  more  territory  than  is  contained  in  the  six  States  of 
Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  Jer- 
sey and  Delaware,  all  of  this  vast  domain  being  within  twelve  miles  of 
a  trans-continental  railroad."  — Speech  of  ^^.'^ktov^  Beck. 

WHAT    THE    PACIFIC    RAILROAD    .STOCK    IS. 

"This  ninety  millions  of  stock,  claiming  dividends,  standing  between 
the  companies  and  tlieir  obligations  to  the  government,  does  not  repre- 
sent one  dollar  nor  the  phantom  of  a  dollar.  If  it  represents  anvthmg, 
it  is  simply  an  arbitrary  profit  upon  fraudulent  contracts.  The  assump- 
tion that  it  is  actual  capital  is  a  bare,  naked  assumption,  without  a  fig- 
leaf  covering  of  fact."  — Speech  0/ Senator  Booth. 

And  yet  it  has  paid  as  high  as  fifteen  per  cent,  annual  dividends. 

the  credit  mobilier  by  one  who  knows. 
Question.     Then   what  j)urpose  had  you  to  propose  to  build  a  road 


1^50  NOTES    TO    AN    IRON    CROWN. 

ttiat  had  already  been  built  by  the  company  at  a  cost  to  them  of  less  than 
the  amount  mentioned  in  3'our  proposition?* 

Answer.  We  were  identical  in  interest.  The  Credit  Mobilier  and 
the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  were  the  same  identical  parties;  we  were 
hiiilding  it  for  ourselves,  by  ourselves,  and  among  ourselves;  there  was 
not  $20,000  outside  in  it. 

I.    M.    S.    WiLLIAMS.f 

NOTE    III. 

CORRUPTION    MONEY. 

Jay  Gould's  testimony  before  a  New  York  legislative  investigating 
committee,  1873:  « 

"  I  do  not  know  how  much  I  paid  toward  helping  friendly  men. 
We  had  four  Slates  to  look  after,  and  we  had  to  suit  our  politics  to 
circum'^tances.  In  a  Democratic  district  I  was  a  Democrat;  in  a  Repub- 
lican district  I  Avas  a  Republican;  and  in  a  doubtful  district  I  -\vas 
doubtful;  but  in  every  district  and  af  all  times,  I  have  always  been  an 
Erie  man." 

Further  investigation  in  the  same  direction  developed  the  fact  that 
the  Erie  Railroad  Company  paid  out  in  one  rear  o>tc  iiiillion  dollars  for 
corrupt  purposes. 

Testimony  before  a  committee  of  the  New  York  Constitutional 
Convention. 

Edwin  D.  Worcester,  sworn:  I  am  treasurer  of  the  New  York 
Central  Railroad  Company,  and  have  been  for  two  years;  was  assistant 
tieasurer  for  two  years  previous. 

^iicsfio)!.  Do  you  know  of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  Com- 
panv  paying  out  considerable  amounts  of  money  during  the  sessions  of 
legislation.'' 

Answer.     Yes,  considerable  amounts  of  money. 

^ues.  I  think  you  have  succeeded  in  procuring  legislation  for  two 
or  three  years  past. 

Atis.     Yes,  we  succeeded  in  getting  the  legislation. 

^iies.  Were  the  expenses  attending  the  application  paid  by  the 
president  of  the  road.? 

Ans.  I  can  state  the  amount  of  money  he  had;  the  whole  amount 
was  $205  000. 

.^lus.  How  are  the  items  or  entries  made  in  your  books  with  refer- 
ence to  the  expenditure  of  this  $205,000.'' 

Alts.  There  were  no  entries  made  with  regard  to  these  disburse- 
ments. 

The  Supreme  Court  record  at  Washington  shows  (I  am  told)  in 
Vol.  II.,  Transcript  Rec.  1S77,  that  one  Joseph  B.  Stewart,  a  lobbyist, 
states  with  reference  to  the  Pacific  Railroad  legislation  of  1S64,  that  he 
received  two  liimdred  and  fifty  $1,000  railroad  construction  bonds,  to 
be  used  to  "further  the  purposes  which  the  railroad  company  desired  to 
forward  in  Washington." 

*Tho  allusion,  "road  already  built  "  refers  to  a  larg^e  portion  already  built  which 
was  counted  in  a  new  contract,  and  paid  for  a  secotid  time. 

■fOne  of  the  contractors  before  a  Committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 


NOTES    TO    AN     IRON    CROWN.  55I 

NOTE    IV. 

THE    POOR    OF    NEW    YORK. 

In  one  front  and  rear  building  covering  a  lot  25  by  95  feet,  were 
found  258  persons.  In  three  rooms,  two  of  which  Aveie  mere  closets, 
without  windows  or  openings  into  the  halls,  twenty-five  persons  wer^ 
living.  In  another  case,  a  family  consisting  of  fatlier,  mother  and  four 
children,  took  in  fourteen  boarders,  though  occupying  but  three  rooms. 
A  family  of  five  were  discovered  in  a  filthy  cellar,  whicli  they  shared 
with  fitteen  geese. 
— Report  of  Sanitary  Aid  Society  of  Tenth  Ward,  New  York,  Apijii,  18S5. 

NOTE   V. 

BUSINESS    OR    GAMBLING  .'' 

"  Let  any  one  visit  the  exchanges  and  look  on  for  a  few  minutes  for 
himself;  no  gamblijis^  hell  in  any  part  of  the  world  will  show  a  madder 
throng,  or  more  passionate  playing.  This  was  fortnerly  true  only  of  the 
stock  exchange,  but  it  is  becoming  more  and  more  the  leading  feature  of 
the  several  trade  exchanges,  and  shows  the  character  of  the  business 
therein  transacted." 

— A^.   T.  Journal  of  Commerce. 

FICtlTIOUS    SALES   OF    PETROLEUM. 

"  Less  than  25,000,000  barrels  of  petroleum  were  produced  la>t  year; 
yet  there  were  seven  billion,  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  million  barrels  sold 
upon  the  two  petroleum  exchanges  of  tiiis  city,  and  the  one  at  Pittsburgh. 
Ttie  transactions  were  iwo  hundred  and  eighty-seven  times  greater  than 
the  year's  yield,  or,  in  other  words,  for  every  barrel  of  crude  oil  pro- 
duced, 2S7  barrels  were  sold." 

— ^Justice. — N.   7'.  fan.  24,  18S5. 

NOTE   VI. 

BREACH     OF     FRIENDSHIP. 

Lest  the  betrayal  of  Mr.  Norwell  by  Ophir  may  seem  extravagantly 
unnatural,  the  reader  is  referred  to  several  similar  conspicuous  cases, 
whicli  have  actually  occurred,  and  wliich  have  been  carried  to  the  courts 
for  adjustment.  For  obvious  reasons  the  names  of  the  litigants  are  not 
mentioned  here,  but  the  reader  who  is  conversant  with  such  matters  will 
at  once  recall  them. 

NOTE  VII. 

accumulation   of   wealth. 

It  has  Iieen  estimated  by  a  newspaper  writer  that  the  combined 
wealth  of  all  the  men  worth  a  million  dollars  or  over  gives  an  equivalent 
of  twenty  thousand  inillionaires  in  the  United  States,  and  that,  as  the 
average  wealth  of  all  citizens  is  only  $1,000,  fox  each  millionaire,  there 
must  be  i,oco  people  who  have  nothing, and  for  twenty  thousand  million- 


1^52  NOTES    TO    AX    IRON'    CROWN. 

aires  some  tivrvfy  million  pauper!^,  supposing  the  remaining  wealth  dis- 
tributed as  far  as  it  would  go  at  the  rate  ot"  $i,ooo  per  person.  Of  these 
fortunes  twenty  average  one  hundred  milliotis  each. 

NOTE    VIII. 

VENALITY    OF     LEGISLATORS. 

Theodore  Roosevelt,  in  the  Century  Magazine  for  April,  18S5,  esti- 
mates that  one-third  of  all  the  members  of  our  state  legislatures  are  open 
to  bribery  in  some  form  or  other.  He  bases  this  estimate  chiefly  on  his 
long  ol^ervation  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  New  York. 

NOTE    IX. 

i 

BOGUS     DIVIDENDS. 

The  men  who  controlled  the  Wabash  system,  some  years  ago,  paid 
from  their  own  pockets  (if  the  newspaper  press  is  to  be  credited)  divi- 
dends which  the  road  iiad  never  earned,  in  order  to  advance  the  stock  of 
the  company  far  beyond  its  real  value,  and  enable  them  to  unload  it  on 
an  unsuspecting  public.  The  managers  of  this  swindle  secured  through 
it  many  millions  of  dollars. 

NOTE    X. 

ARBITRARY     CHANGES     OF     RATES. 

June  24,  1S84 — Special  class,  grain,  flour,  etc.,  20  cents;  seventh  class 
and  live  hogs,  25  cents;  eighth  class,  25  cents;  ninth  class,  30  cents. 
July  21,  1884 — Special  class,  grain,  etc.,  25  cents;  seventh  class  and  live 
hogs,  30  cents;  eighth  class,  25  cents;  ninth  class,  35  cents. 

Tliis  is  an  advance  of  three  cents  per  bushel  on  wheat.  If  the  rail- 
roads could  carry  grain  from  Chicago  to  New  York  for  twenty  cents  per 
Jmndred  in  June,  why  could  they  not  do  the  same  in  July.''  Their  ans- 
wer, if  they  chose  to  give  one,  would  be  a  series  of  evasions  and  specious 
reasons  existing  only  in  their  own  minds.  The  real  reason  for  the 
advance  is,  they  know  they  have  the  power  to  get  it ^  and  if  pressed  foi 
explanations,  Mr.  Gould,  Mr.  Vanderbilt  or  Mr.  Huntington  would  prob- 
ably reply  in  the  language  of  Boss  Tweed,  "  What  are  you  going  to  do 
about  it.? " 

CHANGES     OF     RATES     IN     EUROPE.. 

In  England  every  railroad  company  is  obliged  to  place  a  book  of 
rates  in  every  station.  This  book  must  remain  open  to  public  inspection. 
In  Prussia  six  weeks  notice  must  be  given  before  any  change  of  rales 
goes  into  effect. 

DO    RAILROADS    EVER    LOWER    FREIGHT    CHARGES    VOLUNTARILY.' 

"The  Bee  (Omaha)  vouches  for  the  fact  that  freight  rates  in  some 
parts  of  Nebraska  are  higher  than  In  1879.  The  people  of  Butler  and 
Polk  counties  alone  could  have  saved  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  if 
their  wheatand  corn  could  have  been  cariicd  this  vear  (1SS4)  at  the  snnie 
rates  as  in  1879.     I"  ^^e  case  of  a  cattle  shipment  it  mentions,  the  rate  in 


NOTES    TO    AX    IRON    CROWN.  553 

Nebraska  was  $-12.85  per  car  for  one  hundred  miles,  while  the  same  sliip- 
ment  was  charged,  on  its  way  through  Iowa  and  Illinois,  but  tiine  dollars 
per  car  tbr'one  hundred  miles."  — Chicago  Tribune^  Dec,  1884. 

NOTE    XI. 

ARBITRARY     POWER     OF    CORPORATIONS. 

"A  committee  of  tlie  United  States  Senate  reported  six  years  ago, 
that,  even  at  that  time,  the  men  who  controlled  tlie  four  great  trunk  lines 
between  New  York  and  Cliicagn,  could,  by  a  single  stroke  of  the  pen, 
reduce  the  value  of  property  in  this  country  by  hundreds  of  millions  of 
dollars.  *  *  *  No  Congress  would  dare  to  exercise  so  vast  a  power 
except  upon  a  necessity  of  the  most  imperative  nature." 

—N.   r.   Times,  Dec.  6,  1S80. 

TAXES   ON   INDUSTRY   IN   THE    UNITED   STATES. 

"  Every  quarter  of  a'cent  decline  in  the  price  of  wheat  means  a  loss 
in  the  marketable  value  of  the  wheat  crop  of  the  country  of  one  million 
dollars,  and  within  a  few  days  tlie  value  of  the  wheat  crop  lias  decreased 
well  on  to  twenty  millions  of  dollars.  But  railroad  rates  remain  substan- 
tially the  same  as  one  year  ago,  when  wheat  fetched  one  dollar  per 
bushel  in  Chicago,  and  in  many  cases,  as  we  have  shown,  they  are  higher 
than  they  were. 

"When  the  railroads  have  had  good  years  they  have  doubled  their 
stock,  as  the  Rock  Island  did  a  few  vearsago;  or  they  have  accumulated 
a  surplus,  like  that  of  the  North  Western,  which  now  amounts  to  thirty 
millions;  or  they  have  stretched  half  svay  across  the  continent,  like  the 
Burlington.  When  there  come  bad  years,  like  those  now  upon  us,  the 
railroads  insist  that  the  poor  farmer  shall  continue  to  make  good  all  this 
pile  of  Wall  street  fictions.  He  must  go  on  paying  dividends  on  all  the 
capitalization  of  all  the  locomotives,  cars,  and  rails  the  roads  ever  had, 
although  a  larger  part  of  them  have  since  been  worn  out.  ***** 
Wall  street  has  planted  itself  on  what  it  fondly  believed  to  be  its 
impregnable  power  to  extort  whatever  it  wanted,  '  Only  over  our  roads 
and  on  our  terms  shall  you  market  your  produce.' " 

— Chicago  Tribune,  Dec,  1884. 

IS   THERE    ANY    REAL  COMPETITION    BETWEEN    RAILROADS.? 

It  might  be  well  for  those  guileless  innocents  who  think  that  rail- 
roads do  really  compete  with  one  another,  to  reflect  that  the  entire  United 
States  is  accurately  subdivided  and  assigned  to  several  great  pools,  such 
as  the  "Eastern  Pool,"  the  "Western  Trunk  Line  Association,"  the 
"  bouthwestern  Pool,"  the  "  Southern  Pool,"  the  "  Pacific  Pool,"  which 
includes  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company  navigating  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  which  latter  pond,  supposed  to  belong  to  mankind  in  general,  has 
lately  been  discovered  to  be  the  private  property  of  Huntington,  Stan- 
ford, Crocker  &  Co. 

These  pools  are  controlled  by  Albert  Fink  and  his  associate  "  high 
joints"  of  the  commission.  He  is  the  great  mogul  who  dictates  to  55,- 
000,000  of  people  Just  what  they  shall  pay  for  every  pound  of  freight 
fetched  or  carried. 


554  NOTES    TO    AN    IRON'    CROWN. 

Hon  Charles  A.  Sumner,  of  California,  in  a  speech  delivered  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  Jan.  7,  18S5,  tabulates  the  Pacific  railroad 
properties  as  lollows: 

Companies  controlled  by  the  Union  Pacific 56 

"             "               "     "    Central     '• 33 

"     "    U.  P.  &  C.  P.  jointly 4 

"            "              "     "    C.P.Huntington 12 

Total 105 

Does  this  look  like  competition .' 

Dillave,  five  years  ago,  estimated  that  Gould,  Vanderbilt,  Garrett,  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  one  or  two  other  interests  controlled  six  hun- 
dred millions  of  the  railway  capital  of  the  country.  In  a  few  years,  doubt- 
less, the  total  will  be  a  thousand  millions  absolutely  in  the  hands  of  four 
or  five  men.  Furthermore,  they  can,  by  traffic  arrangements,  control, 
almost  completely,  perhaps  twice  as  much  more.  Are  they  not  truly 
uncrowned  kings.'  It  may  be  urged  that  these  great  interests  are  cofn- 
fetiiive.  At  times  they  are;  but  that  the}'  can  combine  in  a  manner 
dangerous  to  the  liberties  of  the  people  is  only  too  well  evidenced  in  the 
building  up  of  the  monstrous  Standard  Oil  Company  monopoly. 

Every  reader  interested  in  this  subject,  should  read  the  debates  on 
the  Reagan  "  Inter-State  Commerce  Bill.'*  See  Cong.  Rec,  session 
of  84-85. 

NOTE  XII. 

THE    MINING    INDUSTRY. 

One  of  the  principal  mining  men  of  Utah  recently  declared  that: 
"  '  With  the  present  low  rates  foi-  lead,  and  high  rates  of  transportation  we 
might  as  well  turn  our  ores  right  over  to  the  railroad  companies.'  This 
was  by  no  means  an  exaggerated  statement  of  the  condition  of  aflairs  in 
Utah,  and  matters  have  long  been  worse  in  Nevada.  Hundreds  of  good 
mines  adjacent  to  the  line  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  are  idle  to-day 
as  they  have  been  for  years,  because  the  rates  for  transporting  ores  to  San 
Francisco,  Salt  Lake,  or  other  points  where  facilities  for  reduction  could 
be  obtained,  were  too  high  to  leave  the  mine  owner  any  adequate  coin- 
]iensation  for  his  toil  and  risk  in  prospecting  for  ore,  extracting  it  from 
the  mine,  and  hauling  it  to  the  railroad.  The  railroad  will  not  fix  a  price 
per  ton  for  hauling  ores;  it  must  have  a  percentage — 'all  the  goods  will 
bear.'"  — Virgiiiia  {Nev^^  Chro7iide,  Dec,  1884. 

NOTE   XIII. 

STAND    AND    DELIVER. 

These  statements  are  no  hyberbole,  but  disagreeable  facts.  The 
maxim  "  Charge  all  the  traflic  will  bear,"  is  one  that  railroad  men  are  dis- 
posed to  adopt  whenever  they  dare.  Instance  the  sczmtyfive  f<r  cent. 
discrimination  against  dressed  meats,  in  favor  of  live  stock.  It  is  a  fla- 
grant attempt  to  crush  a  new  industry,  because  the  railroads  are  interested 
in  stock-yards,  and  other  appurtenances  of  the  old.  The  Central  Pacific 
Railroad  charges  $300  per  car  frotn  Omaha  to  San  Francisco,  and  $Soo 
per  car  to  Reno,  Nev.,  which  is  a  less  distance  by  several  huiulretl  miles. 


NOTES    TO    AN    IRON    CROWN.  ^i^c; 

They  charge  through  rales  from  Omaha  to  San  Francisco,  and  then  add 
local  rates  back,  again  to  Reno,  although  the  goods  stop  at  Reno  and 
never  reach  San  Francisco.  Furthermore,  they  compel  merchants  of 
San  Francisco  to  subject  their  private  business  to  inspection,  and  submit  to 
examination  of  their  books.  This  could  not  be  done  bv  any  other  power 
in  the  world,  except,  perhaps,  the  Czar  of  Russia.  Where  is  the  spirit 
of  '76.? 

Also  see  speech  of  Congressman  Daggett  of  Nevada,  Feb.  25,  1881, 
introducing  resolutions  of  the  Legislature  of  Nevada. 

UNJUST   DISCRIMINATIONS. 

An  excellent  illustration  of  tlie  absurdity  of  the  claims  of  railroad 
men  that  discriminations  in  freight  rates  are  often  necessary,  is  seen  in 
the  fact  that  the  rates  on  sugar  were  one  cent  per  pound  from  San  Fran- 
cisco to  New  York,  and  two  cents  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco. 
Does  it  cost  any  more  to  run  a  train  west  than  east.''  The  answer  is,  that 
this  discrimination  is  intended  to  build  up  ihe  notorious  Spreckels  sugar 
monopoly,  and  make  another  money  baron. 

NOTE    XIV. 

PROFITS    OF    RAILROADS    AND    OTHER    CORPORATIONS. 

Poor's  Manual,  and  other  trustworthy  authorities,  estimate  that  th^ 
railroads  of  the  United  States  should  not  cost  over  $25,000  per  mile, 
including  rolling  stock  and  all  equipments.  (See  note  18,  Mexican 
National).  The  debates  on  the  Reagan  bill  last  winter  ('S4-'85)  developed 
many  additional  facts  bearing  on  this  subject.  The  entire  railroad  capital 
of  the  United  States  including  bonds,  stocks,  floating  debts,  etc.,  is  in 
lound  numbers  ahout  sez'en  thousand  millions.  The  number  of  miles  of 
road  is  a  fraction  over  121,000.  At  $25,000  per  mile,  this  would  give  the 
7-eal  value  of  the  whole  about  three  thousand  millions.  Hence  the  other 
four  thousand  millions  is  wafer  which  the  people  of  the  United  States 
are  obliged  to  consider  as  real  capital,  and  pay  interest  on  accordingly. 
The  defenders  of  railroad  abuses  admit  that  this  seven  thousand  millions 
pays  an  average  interest  of  three  per  cent,  per  annum.  Hence  on  this 
basis  the  people  pay  three  per  cent,  on  four  thousand  millions  of  fictitious 
capital  which  never  had  any  existence,  or  a  total  of  one  hundred  and 
t-venty  millions  per  year.,  or  about  $2.20  for  each  man,  woman,  and  child 
in  tlie  country.  Part  of  this  is  a  gratuitous  contribu.tion  to  Mr.  Vander- 
bilt,  whose  income  is  estimated  at  from  ieu  to  fifteen  dollars  per  minute. 

The  railroads  carried  in  1S83  in  round  numbers  four  hundred  million 
tons  of  freight,  and  received  for  transporting,  both  freight  and  passengers, 
something  over  eight  hundred  million  dollars.  Their  profits  were,  in 
round  numbers,  three  hundred  and  thiitv-three  millions.  Now  taking 
the  actual  investment  at  three  thousand  millions,  as  above,  these  figures 
show  a  net  profit  of  over  ten  per  cent,  instead  of  the  three  per  cent, 
claimed  by  these  railroad  advocates  who  are  defending  usurpation. 

Furthermore,  this  state  of  things,  instead  of  improving,  is  growing 
worse.  Congressman  George,  of  Oregon  (Cong.  Record  of  Dec  20, 
1SS4),  estimates  that,  of  the  new  roads,  those  built  in  1879  are  capitalized 
at  $57,730  per  mile,  while  those  built  in  1SS3  have  crept  up  to  $62,174  P^"" 
mile.  These  latter  were  built  when  the  cost  of  labor  and  materials  was 
much  less  than  in  1S79.    This  upsets  the  plea  of  railroad  men  that  most  of 


556  NOTES    TO    AN    IRON    CROWN. 

the  roads  now  in  use  were  built  when  prices  were  greatly  inflated,  and, 
consequently,  cost  more  than  they  would  now.  Admitting  that  they  did 
cost  more;  must  the  public  make  good  the  shrinkage  on  property  caused 
by  the  natural  laws  of  trade?  Who  indemnifies  the  owner  of  a  house 
Avhich  was  built  when  prices  were  inflated,  at  a  cost  of  $10,000  and  which 
is  now  worth  only  $5,000?  A  ihing  is  tvorih  only  -what  it  can  be  duplicated 
for.  The  truth  is  that  railroad  aflfairs  in  this  country  are  honeycombed 
and  saturated  through  and  through  with  rascality. 

T.    B.    THURBER'S    testimony. 

"How  great  this  tax  is  may  be  Inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  receipts 
of  the  railroads  of  this  State  (New  York)  as  given  in  the  report  of  the 
State  Engineer  and  Surveyor,  exceed  $9^,0^0,000,  and  I  have  seen  it 
stated,  and  I  believe  it  to  be  true,  that  probably  one-half  of  this  sum 
would  pay  ten  per  cent,  interest  on  the  capital  actually  paid  by  stock  and 
bond  holders  in  providing  these  facilities.  The  entire  revenues  of  the 
State  of  New  York  derived  from  taxation  are  in  the  neighborhood  of 
$S,oco,ooo  and  a  great  hue  and  cry  is  raised  whenever  it  is  proposed  to 
increase  this  sum,  even  for  the  most  necessary  purposes,  while  all  the 
time  the  public  are  sustaining  a  taxation  in  the  shape  of  excessive 
charges  for  transportation  many  times  greater  than  the  entire  amount 
required  for  the  expense  of  the  government." 

T.   B.  Thurber,  Wholesale  Grocer. 
Before  Cong.   Cotn.  of  Labor,  Aug.  24,  1878. 

TELEPHONE    AND    GAS    PROFITS. 

"  In  the  city  of  Philadelphia  the  Bell  Telephone  Company  paid  last 
year  $229,600  dividends  on  a  capital  of  $560,000,  or  a  profit  of  forty-one 
per  cent." 

How  many  farmers  net  six  per  cent,  on  their  investments  one  vear 
with  another? 

"  An  investigation  by  the  New  York  Senate  into  the  cost  of  gas,  and 
prices  charged  consumers,  developed  the  following  tacts  in  the  testimonv 
of  President  Kennedy  of  the  Mutual  Gas  Company.  In  1874  the  Com- 
pany charged  consumers  $2.75  per  thousand  feet,  the  gas  costing  $1.03. 
In  1S84  the  price  charged  was  $2.16,  while  the  cost  was  only  forty-six 
cents  per  thousand  feet.  President  Kennedy  was  reluctant  to  tell  what 
had  been  the  cost  of  the  Company's  plant." 

— Dispatch  to  Chicago  Tribune  Feb.  27,  1885. 

PACIFIC    MAIL. 

"The  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company  in  1873  did  not  absolutely 
own  one  iron  steamer.  Out  of  their  earnings  in  the  past  ten  years  they 
have  paid  for  nineteen  iron  steamships,  have  a  million  dollars  in  their 
treasury,  and  are  now  (18S4)  paying  a  quarterly  dividend  at  the  rate  of 
five  per  cent,  per  annum." 

— RuFUS  Hatch  in  N.  T.  Times. 

This  Company  has  the  modesty  to  ask  a  government  subsidy,  and 
receives  a  large  bonus  from  the  Pacific  Railroad  to  kill  competition. 


NOTES    TO    AN    IKON    CROWN.  557 

NOTE    XV. 

INTIMIDATION   OF    COURTS. 

"  I  have  he^rd  the  counsel  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
standing  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania,  threaten  that  Court 
with  the  displeasure  of  his  clients  if  it  decided  a^iainst  them,  and  all  the 
blood  in  my  body  tingled  with  shame  at  the  humiliating  spectacle." 

— Prest.  Gowan,  of  the  Phila.  and  Reading  R.  /?.,  before  a 
Committee  oj  the  House  of  Representatives. 

NOTE  XVI. 

UNTAXABLE    PROPERTY. 

In  Jersey  City  there  are  many  millions  of  valuable  railroad  property 
and  franchises  forever  exempt  from  taxation  because  of  favorable  legisla- 
tion by  corrupt  or  short-sighted  boards  of  aldermen.  But  that,  perhaps, 
makes  little  difierence  so  long  as  corporations  and  wealthy  men  can  evade 
taxation  by  bribing  assessors.  It  is  only  the  poor,  and  those  of  moderate 
means  who  must  pay  their  taxes  in  full. 

An  investigating  committee  of  the  Illinois  State  Senate  (1S85)  found 
its  inquiries  continually  thwarted,  and  its  deliberations  hampered  by  the 
refusal  of  the  representatives  of  corporations  to  answer  questions  con- 
cerning their  capital  and  profits.  Judging  by  their  answers  the  inference 
is  legitimate  that  nearly  all  corporations  are  managed  by  ignoramuses, 
and  on  the  point  of  bankruptcy.  One  important  fact  was  elicited — 
namely,  that  two  or  three  corporations  absolutely  ignored  the  assessor,  and 
declined  to  give  any  information  concerning  their  taxable  property, 

NOTE  XVII. 

THE    HOCKING    VALLEY    STRIKE. 

The  gates  of  the  coal  banks  are  closed,  the  chief  stores  have  their 
shutters  constantly  down,  the  iron  furnaces  stand  cold  and  grim  by  the 
roadside;  brick  yards,  lutnber  mills  and  machine  houses  are  abandoned. 
The  workmen  are  idle  and  destitute,  and  the  hand  of  charity  feeds  them 
and  their  families.  The  miners  sit  sullenly  about  the  day  long  without 
money  in  their  pockets,  food  in  their  houses,  or  hope  in  their  hearts. 
Almost  without  exception  the  men  are  woikless,  their  families  ill  fed, 
poorly  clad,  and  miserably  housed.  Their  faces  are  stolid,  and  the  ex- 
pression of  their  features  that  of  despair.  Eighteen  months  ago  the  men 
were  paid  seventy  cents  per  Ion  in  summer  and  eighty  cents  in  winter. 
Since  the  '  Syndicate"  took  control  the  men  have  been  given  work  not 
more  than  one-third  of  the  time.  During  the  four  months  preceding  last 
June  their  earnings  averaged  about  $30  per  month  per  man.  At  fifty 
cents  per  ton  [the  new  rate]  life  could  barely  be  supported  as  an  animal 
is  kept — something  to  eat,  a  place  to  sleep,  a  place  to  work.  The  com- 
pany evidently  regards  the  men  as  no  better  than  animals.  The  mine, 
the  coal  hopper,  the  stables,  the  houses  are  the  company's  property. 
The  men  and  the  mules  are  their  servants.  When  the  company  thinks 
best  it  closes  the  mine,  locks  the  hopper,  turns  the  mules  out  to 
pasture,  and  if  the  miner  fails  in  his  rent  turns  him  out  into  the  woods. 


55S 


NOTES    TO    AN    IRON    CROWN. 


Miserable  liouses  on  worthless  bits  of  ground,  the  whole  preniises  worth 
not  more  than  $200,  brought  from  $60  to  $90  per  year  in  rents.  Goods 
at  the  company's  store  sold  from  five  to  twenty-five  per  cent,  higher  than 
at  the  stores  of  individuals. 

The  plea  that  labor  has  been  overpaid  does  not  excuse  the  reduction. 
The  Hocking  Company's  competitors  pay  seventy  cents.  This  is  the 
price  in  the  valle\-  of  the  Tuscarawas  at  Mahoning  and  Coshocton. 
Moreover,  mines  in  the  Hocking  Valley  owned  by  W.  P.  Rend  &  Co., 
of  Chicago,  pay  seventy  cents.  Notwithstanding  the  reduction  in 
wages,  the  "Syndicate"  now  charges  one-quarter  of  a  cent  per  bushel 
more  for  coal  in  Columbus  than  it  did  before. 

— Condensed  from  the  Chicago  Herald  of  Oct.  12,  1884. 

REND   &    CO.'S    FIGHT    IN    THE    HOCKING    VALLEY. 

To  show  that  monopolists  work  together  in  defiance  of  right  and 
law,  the  experiences  of  W.  P.  Rend  &  Co.  are  of  great  interest.  The 
Hocking  Valley  R.  R.  Co.,  in  aid  of  the  Mining  Co.  in  its  contest  with 
the  strikers,  refused  to  furnish  Rend  &  Co.  cars  to  transport  their  coal. 
An  injunction,  issued  from  tlie  proper  court,  ordering  them  to  furnish  the 
cars.  Then  the  Railroad  Co.  demanded  full  local  rates  frefaid^  which 
amoimted  to  a  defiance  of  the  court.  li.  was  only  after  a  summons  to 
show  cause  why  they  should  not  be  punished  for  contempt,  that  the  com- 
pany reluctantly  succumbed  to  the  powers  that  be. 

THE    PENNSYLVANIA     MINKS, 

In  Pennsylvania  affairs  were  in  some  instances  as  bad  as  in  Ohio. 
To  the  farmer  who  w-orks  for  fifteen  dollars  per  month,  board  and  lodging 
found,  thirty  dollars  per  month  may  seem  large  wages  But  he  must 
remember  that  miners  often  cannot  work  more  than  one-third  of  the 
year.  Then  their  employment  is  very  hazardous.  In  England  mining 
was  formerly  (according  to  Adam  Smith)  considered  worth  three  times 
the  price  of  ordinary  labor  on  account  of  the  risk. 

In  Pennsylvania  the  coal  lands  are  owned  by  the  railroad  companies. 
One  of  these  great  companies  agreed  to  pay  its  men  on  a  sliding  scale, 
according  to  the  price  of  coal  at  the  mines.  It  then  kept  the  price  the 
same,  but  doubled  its  rates  of  transportation,  thus  doubling  its  profit.  The 
companies  also  demanded  that  the  men  sign  an  agreement  waiving  all 
their  rights  under  the  statutes  framed  tor  the  protection  of  miners.  Also 
asked  the  abolition  of  the  checkweighman,  whose  business  it  is  to  see 
fair  weight  and  proper  credits.  Can  freemen  sign  so  degrading  an  agree- 
ment?    Who  will  say  that  strikes  are  wholly  unjustifiable  in  such  cases.? 

NOTE  XVIII. 

ACTUAL    COST    OF    RAILROAD    BUILDING, 

Railroad  men  in  this  countrv  clnim  that  the  actual  cost  of  building  a 
mile  of  road  is  from  $25,000  to  $30,000.  The  rolling  stock,  equipments, 
depots  and  terminal  facilities  it  is  claimed  about  double  these  figures. 
The  total  capitalization  of  the  railroads  of  the  United  States  runs  from 
fiftv  thousand  to  seventy  thousand  dollars  per  mile.  In  the  face  of  these 
figures  the  actual  cost  of  the  Mexican  National  Can  expetjisive  road)  as 
given  below,  is  very  interesting  reading  to  the  public. 


NOTES    TO    AN    IRON    CROWN.  559 

"  The  building  being  clone  In  a  foreign  country  lias  involved  excep- 
tional elements  of  cost,  and  much  of  it  has  been  through  a  mountainous 
region,  and  in  ascending  the  plateau  from  the  level  of  the  sea.  Notwith- 
standing, it  is  being  built  and  equip-ped  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  $20,000 
per  mile,  the  original  estimate.  This  includes  organizing  the  whole 
system,  and  the  building  of  the  most  expensive  sections  of  the  northern 
and  southern  ends,  including  one  division  from  the  City  of  Mexico  to 
Toluca,  forty  six  miles,  crossing  a  mountain  range  at  10,000  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  ocean,  which  cost  about  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  per 
mile." 

Wm.  J.  Palmer,  Pres't  Mex.  Nat.  Railway. 

—m  N.  r.  Times,  Dec.  30,  1884. 

NOTE   XIX. 

WHO   MEETS   THEIR     LOSSES? 

"  One  little  item  oJ  news  that  has  not  had  the  attention  it  deserved  is 
that  the  much-watered  New  York  Central  Road  had  to  sell  bonds  during 
the  last  fiscal  year  to  get  money  to  pay  its  dividends  with.  Its  earnings 
were  $1,400,000  less  than  its  expenses,  and  the  deficit  was  made  up  by 
the  sale  of  bonds,  of  which  $5,000,000  were  added  to  its  indebtedness.  Its 
capital  is  $89,000,000,  more  than  half  of  it  water.  In  1868  there  was  a 
scrip  dividend  of  80  per  cent.,  and  in  1S69,  upon  the  consolidation  of  the 
Central  with  the  Hudson  River  Road,  a  scrip  dividend  of  27  per  cent, 
more  was  made  on  Central  and  one  of  85  per  cent,  on  the  Hudson  River 
stock.  Here  we  have  a  perfect  illustration  of  the  attitude  of  these  Wall 
street  railroad  men  to  the  rest  of  the  country.  They  create  paper  obliga- 
tions far  in  excess  of  the  value  of  their  properties,  and  then  insist  that,  no 
matter  whether  crops  are  short  or  whether  their  own  management  has 
been  imbecile  or  corrupt,  the  country  must  be  milked  to  pay  dividends 
on  their  'tissue  ballots.'  The  New  York  Central  was  plunged  last  year 
into  a  railroad  war,  of  which  there  has  nev^r  been  but  one  intelligible 
explanation.  Tliat  is,  that  it  was  conceived  and  executed  for  the  purely 
speculative  purposes  of  its  Vanderbilt  managers.  Millions  were  lost 
which  the  public  must  pay.  Railroad  debt  is  really  public  debt.  The 
people  pay  it — principal  and  interest.  To  have  it  created  by  methods 
like  those  of  the  New  York  Central  is  a  form  of  public  robbery  which 
must  be  stopped — 'peaceably  if  we  can,  forcibly  if  we  must.'" 

— Chicago  Tribune^  1S85. 

NOTE  XX. 

HOW    DO    THEY    GET    IT.' 

"A  remarkable  fact  attending  all  the  great  railroads  of  the  United 
States  is  the  immense  wealth  of  their  leading  officials.  It  is  confined  to 
no  state,  and  is  exceptional  to  all  other  employments.  The  grandest 
talent  and  greatest  learning,  in  law,  ph_ysic,  and  other  learned  avocations, 
accumulate  a  few  thousands  in  a  lifetime;  but  railroad  officials,  after 
rising  from  mere  clerkships,  roundsmen,  ticket  and  other  agents,  with 
salaries  running  from  hundreds  to  a  few  thousands,  eventuate  as  pos- 
sessors of  many  millions.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  a  railroad 
president,  rising  from  the  humblest  station,  in  the  course  of  fifteen  or 


c6o  NOTES    TO    AN    IRON     CROWN. 

twcntv  years  become  the  owner  of  five,  ten  or  twenty  millions,  at  a 
salary  w-'hich  would  not  average  for  the  whole  time  over  ten  or  twelve 
thousand  dollars.  These  are  mysteries  that  the  common  people  cannot 
understand." 

Hon.  Daviu  Agnew, 
Ex-Chic f  yiisticc  of  the  Sufreiiie  Court  of  Pennsylvania. 

NOTE  XXI. 

THE   REBATE    SWINDLE. 

I  The  following  table  is  from  "Monopolies;  Their  Origin,  Growth 
and  Development,"  by  Stephen  B.  Dillaye. 

The  Standard  Oil  Company  received  in  rebates  (of  $i.oo  per  barrel) 
from  Oct.  17,  1S77,  to  March  31,  1S79,  about  eighteen  months,  as  follows: 

From   the  Baltimore   ii   Ohio,   as   per   contract  ot   Oct. 

17,1877 $    1,116,63398 

From   the   New  York  Central,  as  per  contract  of  same 

date 2,131,755  78 

From  the  Erie,  as  per  contract  of  same  date 2,181,755  78 

trom  the   Pennsylvania  R.   R.,  as  per  contract  of  same 

date , 4.7ii>o72  46 

$10,141,218  00 

These  rebates  enabled  the  Standard  Oil  Co.  to  undersell,  drive  out  of 
business  and  ruin  all  their  competitors.  On  the  theory  that  the  officers 
of  railroad  companies  divide  this  swag  with  the  recipient,  is  it  not  easy 
to  explain  why  railroad  officials  get  rich,  in  answer  to  Judge  Agnew  s 
question  in  Note  20? 


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